Black Dawn
by Tenshi of the Dark
Summary: Jamie wants nothing more than this nightmare to be over. But when you're the child of the god's worse enemy, with the world hanging on your shoulders, it's not as easy as it seems
1. The beginning of a new life

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Disclaimer:I do not own Percy Jackson only Jamie.

Chapter One

The night was cold and that was only one of the signs that something was wrong. I mean, when it is ever cold in California. Not in thsi month,It's never cold here. Never. But I was reckless that day, eager to escape my mom and her new boyfriend whom I despised. I took the long way home wrapping an arm around myself to keep warm. The wind was a little bitter, blowing huge chunks of hair in my face. Again, I didn't care because It was still better then being at home.

"Jamie," A voice behind me whispered. As a reflex, I turned around. I didn't see anybody so I went on walking.

"Jamie," The voice croaked again and I spun around, cold Goosebumps on my arm, this time, I quickened my pace so I was practically running.

I heard some footsteps behind me, a sort of quiet thumping, like a cat prowling for its meal. Somehow, that didn't exactly reassure me, "Jamie," The voice whispered crookedly. That was for my self control; I ran. I ran blindly, tripping over my own two feet. I paused for a second to hear what was behind me. I heard…nothing. Nothing at all, not even the nightingales singing or the leaves rustling. There was absolute silence.

Then something on top of me, knocking me down. I twisted my head up to see what it was and felt my heart stop. No…no, it couldn't be real. It was only supposed to be a myth but it was real…a minotaur. Its face was gruesome and twisted up with fury and the undeniable thirst for blood. My skin went cold, like I had injected myself with ice water.

"HELLLLPPPPPP!" I screamed. I gathered myself to say no but the thing on top of me shifted so one of its paws or whatever was on top of my lungs, blocking air from my lungs.

I tried to draw breath but instead felt like a tight constriction was blocking air from reaching my throat. There was no relief of fresh air to my lungs and pretty soon, I would not be able to breath. This sent me panicking, struggling pointlessly.

My eyes started to fade and dark spots colored my vision. Well, I thought, this is it.

The next thing I knew, he pressure had lifted suddenly, allowing me to suck in much needed air. As I sat up, dizzy from lack of oxygen, I saw why the Minotaur had lifted. In front of it were two people, both around my age, fighting. One had black hair and sea green eyes that had a sort of bright light in it, like he was usually happy. But right now, his eyes were dangerous, filled with the lust of battle. The other person was a girl with hair tucked under a Yankees cap and wise grey eyes. She seemed to be dodging every blow the Minotaur gave her. She was incredible agile with grace in every move she did.

The Minotaur gave a loud roar and charged at him, horns at the ready. The girl was in its range of attack and I ready myself to yell when suddenly- she disappeared. The Minotaur was just as confused as I was and reared around to attack the boy instead when an invisible foot kicked him backward. It sprawled backwards, knocking into a building.

"Percy, stab it!" The girl yelled. Percy withdrew a pen and it suddenly transformed into a sword.

I gaped at it but he didn't see.

"Relax," He told the girl with ease," I have everything taken care of." As he said those words, the Minotaur suddenly charged up, ramming into the boy. Percy dodged but dropped his sword where it landed, point first, near my feet, quivering.

"You complete SEAWEED BRAIN!" The girl yelled. The Minotaur reared again, this time charged at me. I was frozen with fear when suddenly, on stupid reflexes, I grabbed the sword. It didn't feel right in my hands but I needed it right now. Just as the Minotaur reached me, I slashed out, drawing a ragged line across its torso. It disappeared in a blur of nasty green goop.

I caught my breath to exclaim," That was gross!" The two people approached me and I stood up, backing away. The sword suddenly disappeared from my hands to the boy.

" Relax," The girl told me," We are not here to hurt you, only to protect you but Seaweed Brain here," she shot him a dirty look," Was too arrogant to do what I said."

"Was," I struggled for words," Was that thing real?" Percy nodded.

"Yep," he said. "And we are demigods and we are here to get you to camp Half- Blood."

I gave a dry humorless laugh. "Y-you are crazy," I told him," I appreciate that you saved me but you…are …crazy and there is no such things as gods." Thunder rolled in the background, making me flinch.

"I guess Zeus is taking that as an insult," The girl said mildly.

"You- you guys are crazy," I backed away from them real slow," Stay away from me." The girl sighed and looked meaningfully at Percy. I turned around to leave when I suddenly bumped into someone.

"So sorry,' The person said and I fell in to blackness.

I groaned as I woke up, sure all of that was a dream. Mom would get a kick out of that but I remembered she was always with Kyle now. When I sat up, I realized I wasn't in my room, I looked around and blinked. The room I was in resembled a hospital or at least the nurse's office. I kicked my feet out of bed and swayed dizzily, shaking my head a couple of times. I had to get out of here...

The only thing was, Ii wasn't sure how to, you know. Like, I didn't even know where I was. I dragged myself to the door, inch by inch...

"Hold it right there." I made the mistake of looking at who had spoken. I gasped and everything went grey. For the second time that day, I fainted.


	2. I met Nico Di Angelo

**Here is my second chapter. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson. I only own Jamie and she has a mind of her own.**

**Thanks to everyone who read this and supported me. Yeah, I decided to make another chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

My mind was foggy and thick yet at the same time so crystal clear that it actually felt like I had two minds. I heard voices surround me before my eyes flickered open and squinted against the light. I made out faint black shapes and heated conversations carried out in hush tones and slightly defensive comments. I made out three people. The girl who had rescued me before but now her hair was down. She had blond and wise, grey eyes that looked at me with concern.

The other boy, Percy, looked at me sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. Next to them was another girl, the one who had made me jump before. She had dark hair and electrifying blue eyes. But the thing that had made me jump before was nowhere to be seen.

"Sorry about that,"The girl said loftily," I usually don't use Aegis unless I'm attacked but I have never seen you before so I reacted." She shrugged."Sorry."

"It's okay,"I huffed, not because I accepted her apology but because I wanted to get away from here as fast as I could.

"I'm Thalia," She continued," I'm a Hunter for Lady Artemis."

"By the way,"The blond turned to her," What are you doing here? I thought that you were with Lady Artemis."

Thalia shrugged. "She left to check on Typhoon with Apollo. She offered us to go with he but six weeks with Apollo's Haiku's..." Both girls shivered and the boy flinched."So me and the other Hunters are staying here at camp til then."Thalia turned to me."Who are you?" She asked.

"I-I'm Jamie," I frowned," My mom will be expecting me soon."

"Oh her," The girl rolled her eyes," Actually, she was glad you were gone. Kept saying how she didn't want anything to do with you anymore. That doesn't sound very motherly to me. No offense," She added. I felt oddly comfortable around her, thought I kept shooting glances at Thalia.

"She-she isn't my mom," I admitted, "She's my mom's sister. But I've been with her since I was born so I got in a habit to call her that. I feel like I don't have a family."

"I can relate to that,"Thalia said.

"I am Annabeth," The other girl said," My mother is Athena."

"Who?" I interrupted. "Athena, Goddess of Wisdom and Craft."

"But- the Greek Gods are just that. Myths." I stammered."Are you telling me that they are _real_?" My voice was disbelieving, with the threat behind it. Annabeth nodded in understanding. She looked like she was the same age as me, fourteen or something. I shrugged then sighed. "I guess I have to believe that. It explains all the crazy things that have happened to me." I said.

"Like?" Percy asked

"Sorry but that isn't for you to know." I sniffed.

"This is Seaweed Brain-"

"Percy," He said but Annabeth didn't appear to have heard him.

"And he is exactly that. Seeing as he almost got you killed a while back."

"I said I was sorry." He said defensively."Chiron already gave me hell for it and Mr. D was well..he said,' A shame. One more puny Half Blood for Luke to pick off. How wonderful.' The he said' I think I'm in the mood for Tacos.' Then' Why are you still here, Perry Johnson." I stiffened a giggle.

"He sounds fun," I said dryly.

"Oh, his name is Dionysus, the-"

"Wine God, I know. But what am I ?" I interrupted.

"A Demi-God. Half mortal, Half God."Annabeth said. I paused then fired another question.

"Who is Luke?" Annabeth and Thalia flinched and I could have sworn Annabeth had tears in her eyes. Percy explained about the Demi God who had betrayed them and had once been friends with Annabeth and Thalia and how he was working for Kronos. He sounded misunderstood but when I pointed this out, Percy looked away but Annabeth had hope in her eyes.

I got it. Then, Percy told me about the War, the Great prophecy and Nico Di Angelo and his dead sister Bianca and how Nico had only returned two days ago when the Labyrinth had collapsed.

"His father was Hades?" I gasped. Then, I smirked. "He must be really cool then." Percy nearly fell over as he listened.

"You think being son of Hades is cool?" He choked. "Well,yeah Seaweed Brain. Hades is one of the best Gods ever. You know, besides Poseidon and Kronos." Percy turned a deadly shade of grey. Thunder rolled in the shadows."What?" I demanded.

"Kronos is our enemy," He told me.

"Yeah, I know. I just use to think he was pretty cool..you know for a bad guy."

The thunder disappeared."Dad overreacts wa-a-ay too much," Thalia muttered then turned to me," I guess you don't know but Zeus is my father." Then she turned."I must go to the other Hunters." Then she left. Annabeth wiped at her eyes and gave me a brave smile.

"You should go talk to Chiron and Mr. D. Me and Seaweed Brain will see you later." Then, they left also. I was left staring out in nothingness for a while then I got up, stretching out. The camp was huge with U-shaped cabins all different. I could see Thalia in one with a dozen or so girls.

In other one, large angry boys were arguing with a girl twice as mean barked at them to shut up.

"Hey," I yelled at Percy." Where is Chiron?" He pointed to a big house. I automatically felt stupid. Duh, it was right there. I went back in the house and wandered around it, looking for Chiron. At the kitchen, I found two guys playing cards. The guy with bloodshot eyes and pudgy face had a Laurel on top of his messy hair. The other guy had a horse's behind and a human top. He saw me and galloped over.

"So, You are Jamie?" He asked. I nodded once."Are you Chiron?"

"That I am," he said,"Now sit down and I'll explain everything after a round of cards."

" You're kidding right?" I demanded.

"No, unfortunately but when your opponent is a god, it does well to finish what you started unless you want to get blasted to bites. Now, sit sit. We are on the last round." I stared at him, incredulous but sat down huffily next to Mr.D.

He glanced at me once."So, you're then new bait, eh?" He drawled.

"Are you the -"

"Don't callme what I think you'll call me unless you want to spend the rest of your life in a bottle of wine," He warned.

"Gods have no sense of humor." I grumbled. Thunder rolled by,"Can it, Zeus." I grumbled under my breath.

Chiron glanced nervously at the ceiling and turned to me. "Did Percy explain everything to you?"

" Pretty much." I said.

"What happened this morning? I heard you scream"

"Oh that," I said darkly," Thalia came in wielding Argus and it was on..."

"Say no more, Thalia is the lieutenant of Artemis and is prone to overreact a little.." Thunder followed his words.

"Gee, I wonder where she gets it from?" I muttered sarcastically. Chiron nodded.

"It would do well not to insult the Gods. They get offended quite easily."

"But the way Percy tells it, he already has two or three Godly enemies." I said.

"Percy has a knack for that but his dad is powerful and he can protect himself but you...I really don't know what to make of you. What is your full names?"

"Jamie Stone," I said.

"Interesting name," Dionysus made it seem like a crime that my name was interesting," Well, I suppose you can stay with the Hermes cabin for a while until you godly parents come to claim you."

"The Hermes cabin?" I asked.

"Percy will show you," Chiron said kindly. I took that as a dismissal and left. Chiron claimed the laurel because he had won.

"Rematch," Dionysus called.

* * *

The Hermes cabin was packed and I do mean packed. Kids were stepping on each other and accusing each other of taking stuff. Travis Stroll apologized for it.

"Most of these kids are unclaimed," He said," But I think there is room for you"

"Can't I stay somewhere else?" I asked Percy. He shrugged.

"I honestly don't know. I know that the Zeus cabin is empty but I don't think you can stay there."

"Great," I grumbled," Lovely. Sorry no offense, Travis," I added," But I think your cabin has more then enough people in it."

A lot of people gave huge sighs of relief.

"Then, where are you gonna stay?" I shrugged,

" I honestly don't know," I replied.

"She can stay with us." I looked behind me.

"Thalia?" I asked, confused.

"Yes, you are a maiden, are you not? And lady Artemis said you could stay as long as you don't get smittened with boys. But you are more then welcome to befriend them. Well?" She said.

"Uhhh...sure." It wasn't like I had somewhere else to go." Okay."

Artemis's cabin was amazing. Beds were lined up to look like silver moonlight and the moon could shine threw the left window and on all the cabin. I was awed then frightened by the Sharp swords pointed toward me. Falcons and wolves growled but reluctantly let me passed.

"You can stay on the last row of beds and only be in here during certain periods of the day." Thalia said. A girl with shimmering blond hair and clear grey eyes came forth.

"I am Phoebe."

"I'm Jamie and -" Annabeth came in then, sparing me.

"Thalia!" She cried."He-he's injured!"

Thalia was out of there like the wind.

"Who?" I demanded.

"Nico," Annabeth answered. I ran after her, curious to see what could have happened to him.

They ran in zigzags until they got to a meadow of beautiful flowers . here was a figure collapsed on the ground and the ground under him was yellow and dying out. His clothes were smoking slightly. As I got closer, I could see his black hair and pale skin. His eyes were closed.

"He's alive!" Percy said.

"Then get some Nectar and Ambrosia!" Annabeth yelled.

I bent over Nico and felt his heart. It was beating but barely.

"He's fading," I said. Annabeth's hands fluttered around uselessly, panicked. Thalia looked careless. Useless."Do you know if Percy is coming back or not?" I demanded. Nico couched and sputtered, his eyes fluttering. Percy slid on the ground, slamming into a hard birch tree.

"That hurt." He groaned but handed me a canteen of some thick golden liquid and a square piece of what seemed like Star burst. I twisted the lid off and tinkled some down his throat.

"Give him the Ambrosia!" Percy said. Annabeth opened her mouth but I beat her to it.

"He can't chew, you idiot." I said. Percy looked down, realizing it for the first time.

"Oh, yeah..." He said. Nico stirred his eyes opening and he shifted. His eyes were instantly alert and he lept up, drawing a sharp blade made up of a black material. I edged away form it.

"Nico," Thalia said," Where were you?" He lowered his sword though his expression was still wary. I noticed he wore a black ring.

"I..that isn't important. What is that the Hunters don't leave camp." He said.

Thalia blinked, hand on hip. "Since when is it your buisness to -"

"Artemis told me to tell you," Nico said, keeping his eyes down. His breathing was still shallow. But he looked okay. "I met her while I was..somewhere. And she said something about-" He broke off suddenly, shaking his head "But that isn't the point. She wants you and the others to stay here."

Thalia stamped her foot, her eyes cackling with electricity.

"If you think that you can tell me what to do then I will-"

" Don't believe me I don't care but Artemis told me to gave you this." He took out a silver feather, all silvery and light. Thalia's fury melted into disbelief as she took it. Then, she dropped it like it was on fire.

"Lady Artemis wants us to stay here and help defend camp" Thalia swallowed," I have to tell the others..." She disappeared in the shadows and was gone. I scoffed.

That seemed to get Nico to notice me for the first time. His eyes were guarded and deadly. Automatically, I flinched back.

"I haven't seen you before," He said.

"I just got here after_ someone _left the job of killing a Minotaur to the undiscovered Half Blood." Nico followed my eyes to Percy and he smirked.

"Yeah, Percy does seem to be reckless." He agreed, keeping a distance form me.

"I'm Jamie," I said, holding out a hand. Reluctantly, he shook my hand. His hands were like ice.

"I'm Nico but I guess you already know that."

I nodded but he was already preparing to leave.

"Hey, I'm not done talking to you!" I said, annoyed. Annabeth gave a small chuckle and Percy shook his head. Then, both of their faces turned sheepish.

"Don't you know who my father is?"

"Yeah, it's Hades. So? What does that have to do with anything?" Nico spun around only after I had taken five steps toward him.

"You have to help me because I helped you." I said, growling.

"With?" He sounded wary. My expression turned sheepish.

"I don't know how to get back to the Artemis cabin," I admitted.

"Are you a Hunter?" His question was guarded.

"Um...no, But I would rather stay with them in in the Hermes Cabin, you know."

"How did you get here then?"Percy asked.

"Well...I was there when Annabeth came to get Thalia and I was curious as to who Nico was so I ran after them but now, I'm lost," I finished.

"Then, bye..."Nico said wickedly and then...he was gone.

"I'm gonna flay him alive," I growled. The shadows seemed to laugh. I turned to Annabeth."Is he usually like that?" She nodded.

"I'll help you get back to the cabin."

We left Percy there and started up the path.

"Is...was Luke your friend?" I asked. Annabeth stiffened.

"He ...was,"she whispered," He said we were family but he betrayed us and now...I'm alone again." Her whole body shook. I back peddled.

"Will I have to eat with the Hunters?" I asked.

"I don't know. Usually, you would eat at the Hermes cabin but you are soo different so I really don't know." I gasped and choked dramatically.

"A child of Athena doesn't _know _something? The world has gone mad. Mad, I say!" Annabeth laughed and elbowed me lightly.

"C'mon, we'll be late for dinner."

* * *

The place was huge and the campers were dropping food into a burning torch.

"You drop food in there for the Gods," She told me then went to sit next to the other children of Athena. I ended up sitting with the Hunters and was starting on a pizza when Thalia shot me a look. I sighed.

"Okay, okay!" I got up, grumbling. My pizza was going in the torch. My red- brown hair looked like fire. I sucked in a deep and threw my pizza in the fire and turned to go when I heard it. A mad frothing sound like soda being spilled. I spun around slowly and saw that the alter was blasting off.

Streaks of lighting, fire, arrows and who knew what else came hurling out of the fire...At me. I stared at it and couldn't seem to move.

BAAAMMMMM! I went sailing back, catching the full force of the blow.

* * *

**Cleft-hanger! Is she always getting knocked out or is it just me? Did I get Nico's personality right? Thalia's? Annabeth's? Percy's? Comment!**

**I'll try to update soon. Bye!**


	3. annabeth's theory and Capture the flag

Enjoy the new chapter!

* * *

I had no idea what was happening and I wasn't prepared for it either. The flash of thunder hit me first with a fiery storm I swore was from the pit of a furnace. Then, a huge gust of wind and other stuff blew me back. It slammed me into the wall and I crumpled down to my knees. The walls were made of rough stones and sharp points that tugged into my ribs. I fell face-first onto the ground, black dots dancing in front of my eyes.I heard gasp go around the room, mostly from the Aphrodite girls.

Annabeth shrieked and lept up to me side. I struggled to get up and saw Annabeth running towards me. At once the flames licked upward, turning the color of stopped smoke-grey. I swore I saw a pair of eyes looking at Annabeth. The eyes blinked and were gone. By now, the entire Hall had surrounded me but were wary of getting too close to me. The tendrils of fire licked upward and I had to put my back to the wall to avoid them. I knew the gods were mean but I mean, come on! I didn't do anything to them.

"Jamie! Are you okay?" Annabeth asked.

" Other then being trapped in the middle of a fire? Just fine," I said sarcastically.

"This is no time to be sarcastic" Thalia said calmly.

"Yeah, and should I panic instead?" I snapped. I was backed against the wall now, but the flames were shooting up like an explosion The flames weren't the same as a fire. It was more like an impossible rainbow. Colors clashed together and smells. Like the smell of burnt clothes and the smell of a salty lake and the disguising smell of blood. I swirled like a vortex near me.

"I...I can't calm it down with water!"Percy sounded almost panicked that he couldn't put out the flames.

I was trapped in the horrid flames and honestly, I would rather face the Minotaur again.

"Somebody do something!"Thalia said, roughly pushing someone.

" Can get past that thing?" An Aphrodite girl asked. Annabeth thought about it and turned her head. I couldn't hear what she said because the fire was making me seriously dizzy. Nico got up in no hurry and Annabeth said something to him. I didn't see what he said but I knew he had agreed, though his face was still the same mask of what I had seen earlier.

Just like before, he disappeared though I didn't see how he could be gone in a blink of an eye. He appeared next to me, stumbling a little.

"How in the world-? Wait, I don't really care. Just get me out of here."

"you are so...never mind, grab my hand."

"Just do it!" His expression terrified me so I grabbed his hand. His icy cold hands were actually warm from the flames. Hold on tight and don't let go! He warned. I never got to finish my sentence because at that moment, everything around me disappeared into darkness. I grabbed on tightly on his arm until I could get air into my lungs. When I opened my eyes, we were in the clearing near the cabins. I guess I overshot it a little, Nico said and let go of my hands.

He seemed okay but I sat down, taking deep breathes.

"Everyone feels that way after shadow Traveling," Nico said.

"How did you learn?" I asked.

He shrugged.

"A year of practice. A few accidental trips to Tokyo and India but I got it in the end. I tried to go to the Underworld but ended up in China. I passed out for a week and when I woke up, I was surrounded by these Chinese dudes trying to get me to work," He shook his head. I chuckled. He frowned." What's so funny?"

"Trips to China? That is hilarious!"

"That's not funny," he frowned.

"Yes, it is!"

"Yeah, I guess it is pretty funny." He agreed. Annabeth and Percy reached us.

" Are you okay? Percy asked. Annabeth pursed her lips and looked away from me, frowning.

"What's wrong?" I asked Annabeth. she turned toward me but kept her distance.

"I was just thinking of what you might have done to make the Gods mad at you."

"Me? I didn't do anything, all the facts prove that you might.. All your stupid trivia has gone into your head," I complained. I aways had a temper.

Annabeth started up again, "It's just that all the facts prove that you did something that made the gods mad at you. All the facts prove..,"

"You know what Annabeth, go prattle about your stupid facts to someone who cares and make mommy proud of you for following your stupid facts." Annabeth turned and left, hands balled into fist.

I turned to Percy with a fierce expression.

"So," I said," Are you gonna go after your girlfriend?" I guess I had overreacted but oh come on! I hate it with people accuse me of stuff. Percy shrugged.

"You know Annabeth. She's really smart but..she's just-,"

" Full of hot air?" I suggested. Percy gave a small smile.

" I was gonna say that her mother Athena never takes risk and Annabeth is much like her mother-,"

"So is Athena a hot headed idiot also?"

Percy said, "But Annabeth is so use to her mother being right that she won't go defending people her mom says isn 't good."

" Athena also hate Nico just because of who his dad was?"I asked.

"Well, yeah. But you don't know your Godly parent yet so I don't get why Annabeth would-I mean she's not usually acting like a..a spoiled brat," He said unwillingly.

"Are you gonna run away from me also because of your father?"I asked.

Percy said," Gods can sometimes be a little stubborn about little things like who your parent is. They might blame you for what your godly parent did...like they did for Calypso"

"But I don't even know who my parents are! "I said, stamping my foot in is just so...urgh!

"Why aren't you saying anything?"Percy asked,

" Is there to say?" Nico asked.

"Are you gonna avoid me too?" I asked sullenly."If Thalia is mad at me also or if Artemis is mad at me...I don't have anywhere to stay."I said.

"Artemis what?" A voice behind me said. It was Thalia and the rest of the hunters stepped out between the clearing of the woods. "Let me guess, you don't me at your cabin anymore?" I said.

" That would be what my dad would want. But Lady Artemis says that you are a maiden and she never turns her back on a maiden in need. Plus, she thinks that the gods are gonna make the prophecy come true themselves if they continue to treat you like this."

"What prophecy?" I asked, curious.

" Later, for now, Chiron wants to see you," Thalia said. I sighed dreading what he might want.

"Fine, I'm coming."

* * *

Chiron's face was lined and not at all like the last time I saw him.

" Annabeth has informed me about what happened.."

"Annabeth, huh?" Annabeth was sitting in a stool, reading a book and apparently not paying attention to us. The only thing was, the book she was reading was lopsided and she never flipped the page.

"Hey, if you are gonna easedrop at least don't make it obvious,"I snapped. Her forehead heated up.

"I know,"she said curtly.

"Oh yes, you are the spawn of Athena," I said.

"Don't you insult my mother, Stones."

"I'll do whatever I want, after all, the Gods don't care what I do as long as I'm not at camp."

Annabeth advanced toward me with a silver knife in her hands. I held my ground, hands balled

" Bring it on, Wise Girl," I taunted."

" I will, you!" She shrieked and launched at me.

Chiron said sharply," Jamie..just calm down and tell me what happened."

"I'm sure you would rather hear it from Athena's child. Of course she's never wrong."

"I never am wrong. the Gods must have a legit reason to hate you!"

" Oh yeah. How about thinking that Tyson was like all Cyclopes-evil? Yeah, Percy told me," I added to her flinching face.

" Calm down and explain what happened to me, Jamie."

I glowered at him but held my tongue and started to speak.

"Okay, let's see, Thalia told me to put food on the alter for the gods and I did but then flames started to shot up and I was caught in the cross fire. I knew it wasn't ordinary fire because it was all types of colors. Anyway, Annabeth was about to help me when her mom's eyes peeked out of the fire and warned her to be careful. Then Annabeth stepped back and Nico saved me. That's all. I didn't offend any Gods because I didn't do anything."

I glared at Annabeth as I spoke and saw that she was biting her lip with a look of confliction on her face.

Chiron shifted, "I've never known the gods to be so...well..but this at least, I know never happened." He sighed."I wish I knew what to do but I'm stumped. I guess we can only hope the gods are only making a warning. Jamie, Annabeth you are free to go."

Annabeth, the little kiss up, whispered something in his ear. I left quickly, going towards the lake. There was nobody there so I was not needed to yell at people. I brushed my feet across the surface of the water and shook my feet away, remembering that Posiden had control of the water. I was angry not sad. Let's get that straight once and for all. Something behind me rustled. I sprang up and grabbed a stick, hurling it towards the bushes. Someone complained. Nico and Percy stepped out of the shadows.

"Thalia wanted us to get you. It's time to play capture the flag,"Nico explained.

"Am I still allowed?" I asked.

"Duh. Now come on, we need to get you into armor and get you a weapon before it starts." Percy said.

"Who's playing who?" I asked warily.

"The Hunters and The Cabins of Hephaestus, Hermes, Hades, and Apollo are playing all the rest."

I said," Annabeth is on the other side? Percy ! I can't wait to knock her flat down, "

"I know the Ares cabin is on her side," He warned.

" So? Nico, you're playing witht the Hunters? I asked. He nodded silently.

* * *

As it turned out, getting into armor was easy and almost natural. Picking out a weapon was harder.

"How about a javelin?" Thalia asked.

"No way."

"How about a sword."

"Try again."

"This is impossible, "Thalia said sourly," Maybe you should just pick something out by random." I looked around but I couldn't find any good weapons. In the end, I got a sword made of the same type of iron as Nico's. This had freaked Thalia out for a while.

The real game began as the sun set down behind the magical camp borders. We discussed strategies.

"Maybe Nico can just shadow travel and get the flag." Thalia said at once.

" Ares cabin will be prepared for that." Nico pointed out.

" Yeah," she said.

" How about Nico and I just go around the borders," I suggested,"Like a back up, a distraction. With Nico being able to Shadow travel, he would be a good fall back plan. And me, well, I'm sure the Ares cabin will want to flay me alive so I should stay put. When Thalia is in position, send us a signal and we'll grab the flag."

There was silence as people thought this over.

"You know with a brain like that, you could be a child of Athena." Charles said.

"Maybe if Athena had a child who was normal," I replied. Charles lips twitched at the corners like he was trying not to laugh.

"That's a good plan. Nico, are you willing?"

" Yeah, sure, whatever," Was Nico's reply. I frowned but held my tongue.

" Then let's win this thing!" Thalia's words were greeted by cheer. With the exception of Nico. And me.

* * *

We stood on top of the hill with the banner behind us. Thalia said. I was reluctant to Shadow travel again and I knew that Nico was reluctant to touch me. I gripped his icy cold grasp and felt the air being sucked away from me. Like before, the return of blood to my veins was painful. Nico didn't stumble anymore, thought his grip slackened slightly. He dropped my hand and peered behind the Jupiter tree.

"Where are we?" I demanded.

" A mile away from the Athena flag,"he replied..

"What's going on?" I snuck around and peeked out from behind the trees. I saw that the fight had began. The Ares cabin had clashed with the Hermes cabin. The Aphrodite girls tittered around, yelling and checking their nails every few seconds. I saw Annabeth also, fighting along side Percy.

"I'm gonna kill her." I growled.

Nico looked at me like I was crazy."Haven't you ever wanted to kill Pecy?" I asked.

"As much as that idea tempts me, no thanks. If I kill him, his father would turn me into a piece of kelp." I frowned.

"Yeah Athena would probably turn me into a book and rip me up if I killed her daughter." I sighed. We were silent for a while as I watched all the battles going on. Phoebe was engaged in battle with Clarisse and the struggle was real. Annabeth was taking on Thalia and that left..I hissed,

" Percy! Where is he?"

He seemed to realize this at the same time I did, spinning around in an arch to see Percy behind ws, twirling Riptide in his hands. I drew my sword, the balance a little off but otherwise okay.

"Sorry about this," He said and aimed a blow at my torso. My sword clashed with his, making sparks erupt from the point of damage. Percy seemed surprised by how fast I was and lept back to avoid being hit by Nico. I had to admit Nico was pretty good with a sword. Percy side-stepped and Nico feinted back, swinging his sword. Percy created an arch above his head and dove down with Riptide. I realized it was aimed toward me and at the last second, i fell back using my sword to block his.

"How'd you do that?"Percy asked.

"I don't know. Luck?" I said. I heard it just then, the loud popping and whistling noise Thalia had warned us about."Nico! Go!" I yelled.

"You can't take on Percy,'He said.

"Just-go!" I shoved him until he turned to shadows and was gone.

Percy rounded to me and I felt like screaming. Percy had more advances weighing in on his side. But if I could just delay him-for only a few minutes.

I charged with my sword of stygian iron, something I had..._borrowed _from Nico. My slash was directed toward his hand but he blocked me effortlessly. My mind whirled with possible scenarios. I could just keep fending him off but why should I? Confusing him would work enough.

" You know... I bet Annabeth would rather have Luke on her team rather then you," I taunted. Percy staggered in surprise and I took the chance to go in and get under his guard. He blocked me at the last second, though just barely." I mean, at least he could his own against a Cyclopes rather then rely on friends on help. In fact, I'd bet she is sneaking little peeks at him from the album in her cabin. Nice guy, wouldn't you say? "Percy swung wildly and I dodged out of his range, grinning.

I side stepped from the woods and into the clearing with a light foot while Percy collected his wits. I could hear him running after me. All I could hope was that one of the Hunters would get him off my tail because frankly, I think I just got him mad. I clashed with one girl wearing Greek armor. I was about to apologize when I realized it was Annabeth.

Her cold grey eyes turned towards me, Thalia forgotten. Her knife was bronze and a little battle worn. She did what I expected her to do. She attacked me, knife flashing in her arms. The knife found a clinck in my armor and I withdrew my arm in shock. it stung but it hadn't cut me deep. I could see blood welling up and I held my breath. Strangely, the blood didn't run over my arms. It just sort of...froze.

Before I could ponder this, Thalia yelled at me," Jamie! Protect Nico!"

That must mean he was at the flag. That was more then half a quarter mile away but I ran anyway, my legs bunching up and flexing. I had always been a pretty fast running but I burned off a lot of energy so I was always hungry afterwards. I saw the shaggy black hair of Nico surrounded by the entire Ares cabin.

He seemed okay but his back was pressed against the Athena flag. I burst threw the group with Phoebe and Charles at my heels. I deflected a javlin and went on a battle with a sibling of Annabeth, Malcom. He was pretty good with a knife but his attention was diverted, giving me the opportunity to disarm him. I threw his weapon in the mass of Ares Cabin and I heard a dull, "OW!" And I knew I had hit one of them.

"Get the flag across!" I told Nico,"Use your shadow travel thing."

"Uh...this flag is too..." Nico said and broke off to deflect an arrow shaft as it split the air.

"Just try," I told him.

His dark eyes glowed even darker but he listened and suddenly he was a blur then he was gone. I yelled. The hunters fought their way back to our side. We clashed with the Athena Cabin. I saw Annabeth a little bit away. She was fighting with something. Somebody.

I really didn't care who she as fighting about. But one of her siblings forced me back with the shaft of a javelin. I was forced back to avoid the iron net and it entangled a couple of Hermes campers. A loud cheer made my head snap up. I saw Nico get to our side, the Athena flag melted into silver.

"_We won!" _Charles said. I smiled, though barely an Nico slumped away, as though he was going back to his cabin, where ever it was. He had heped us win and now he was going befor it was even time for dinner. I grabbed him by the shoulder and I felt him tense.

" Oh, you, what do you want?' He asked. His eyes were bleak and so was his voice.

"We won! Aren't you happy?" He pretended to think about said.

" bye. "He was gone in a blur of shadows. Damn child of Hades, I Grumbled under my breath.

"Don't mind him. He's usually like that," Percy said from behind me.

" Hey, you're not mad about earilier, are you?" I asked.

" No I should have expected it but you really got me."

" Where's Grover?"Thalia asked Percy. Percy's brow furrowed.

" I honestly don't know."He said.

" Haven't you seen or heard about him from Tyson?" I asked. Percy shook his head again.

"Come to think of it, I haven't heard from Lady Artemis in a while either. Think something's up?" Thalia asked.

"I'm sure everything is fine," I said.

"Guess you are right. "Thalia said.

"It's time to eat. Are you coming?"

I made a face.

"Thanks but no thanks. I don't want to get close and personal with the flames again. Maybe I'll eat tomorrow," I replied. They both left. I wish I could be that positive because I was pretty sure something was up. I left, guided by my dark thoughts.

* * *

In Olympus

Aphrodite P.O.V

Zeus's tirade cut threw my make up time.

"What is it?" I complained as I came in. Zeus glared at me a I sat down next to Athena and the chair that belonged to Artemis. Athena had her hair loose and held back by a laurel wreath. Boo, you know Athena would be very pretty if her face wasn't buried in a book all the time. And if she ever married. Poor dear had no idea what she was missing. What is it? Hera asked. Hera was also to be expected with a dark braid and a pretty dress.

She was another helpless case. But not everyone was gifted with beauty like me.

"Artemis is missing again," Apollo said. He cleared his throat and recited:

_my sis the moon is gone_

_alone I sit right now_

_Artemis is troublesome_

_I am so sad_

"That only had four", Athena said. Apollo for all his looks wasn't as bright as his sun. He frowned, trying to fix the last stanza. He had messed up the third one too but no one mentioned it.

"How about 'my brain is microscopic'?" Artemis suggested.

"Athena , too many syllables. Hmmmmm. I got it. I am so very sad." He looked pleased with himself.

Athena rolled her eyes but let it slide.

"Wasn't she captured like two years ago?" I asked, dabbing at my lipstick with an ultra flashy red color.

"Yes, but..."

"Oh, please. If they are gonna capture a goddess twice, she should be at least breath taking. Poor dears who have captured Atremis. Bor-ring! She'll be back before long. "I said.

Apollo said," Exactly, yeah...hey!" He seemed offended but I didn't care less. After all, I had a problem of my own. One that irked me for a long while. The concept was too adorable and disastrous to ignore. But I knew what Daddy would say to that.

" And what of...Jamie?" Athena said.

"Plain," I replied.

"She's a threat and must be eleminated," Athena decided.

"No way," I inturputed," I want to see how she'll turn out."

"She'll be allowed to live for now.." Poseidon said

"...but she still is a suspect, "Zeus said. The others nodded in agreement.

I had problems of my own. I had to decide between Death or the Sea. Nico or Percy. Ooooh, this was going to be sooo much fun!

* * *

**That was my longest chapter ever. Tell me what you think. Sorry to all you Annabeth fans about all the bashing going on but it'll all make sense later. Same with Athena. Aphrodite's plan will be revealed later and Jamie's father will be in maybe three more chapters. For now, bye!**


	4. The quest and the discovery

**Hi, I'm back. I've been pretty aware that I have to spell check everything so don't worry, I'll try not to make so many grammar mistakes.**

**I don't own Percy Jackson. Only Jamie which she isn't happy with.**

* * *

I didn't sleep well that night. I mean, not because of the argument that broke out between Phoebe and Annabeth but because of my dream. I stayed up the longest, reading a random book about the Greek Mythology. My eyes drooped down and I could hear the delighted laughing outside in the campfire. Percy had asked me if I wanted to go but I declined mostly because of Annabeth. She and my cousin Sasha would have gotten along great. Except that Sasha had, like, zero brain cells and went on after any boy with legs and hair on his head.

Eventually, I did fall asleep and felt a weird sensation. Have you ever felt like you were being pulled away from your body? That was exactly how I felt. A strange sensation like going threw a tunnel with dark lights all around you. It was like I was being pulled away from my body. I had! When I looked down, I saw myself still wearing my camp T-shirt and my hair sprawling all over, hands clawed. That was all I managed to see because just then a jerk forced me back. Colors swirled past my eyes and I raised a hand to block light from my eyes. Strangely, my hands were immobilized, pinned down at my side.

Then everything was gone. When I looked up, I was in an unfamiliar room with brick walls and high ceilings. In front of me were two people. One of them was a girl with jet black hair and eyes that flickered restlessly. Her lips moved silently . The other person was a boy with sandy blond hair. With a curt nod, the girl left after eying me with distaste. The boy spun around, his hair seemed alive as the torches flickered and burned.

"Well," He said smoothly," It's Nice to meet you Jamie. He has been waiting for you."

" Who are you and where am I? I thought I was dreaming."

"Oh, my manners, my name is Luke, but I guess you already knew that." A hand casually flicked his grey hood back. Those eyes...that scar...it was no doubt this was Luke. As I studied him, I could see why Annabeth would be upset by his betrayal. I would too if he had betrayed me.

"How did I get here?" I asked.

"Hecate is amazing when she wants to be. She transported half your soul here so you could meet...him..." His expression darkened then smoothed out.

"You..you were Thalia's friend." I muttered.

"So you do know her," he said darkly.

"I also know the other girl," I said. "How could you betray them?" My voice at least sounded calm. Inside I had shriveled up and died.

"The Gods are too blind. They need to be De-throned." He said matter-o-factly.

"No, there are...they're just..." I struggled to defend them but after everything they had done to me, it was impossible.

"They're people," I managed out.

"Really? You still say that after what they did to you? Just because of who your father is?"

"You know my father?" I asked. Luke shoved his hands in his pocket.

"The type I know but a specific person, I do not know." He said at last. I huffed, forgetting that I was dealing with the most deadliest person I could meet.

"Thanks for your help," I grumbled. Luke spun around sharply into another room, this one completely dark. There was cold energy surrounding the entire room an a thin layer of frost was clear in the air.

"Can't you turn on the heat?" I grumbled. Then I saw it. A golden coffin was in the back of the room with senses that showed painful ways to die. But that wasn't the scary part. It was when a voice hissed inside my mind, like a razor across a smooth pebble. It made my skin crawl and hide.

_Leave us, Luke_, It hissed.

Luke nodded once and left. I could make out a sliver of his face but I saw that his face was white with fear. Now I was alone with Kronos. The most evil person alive. i was sooo dead.

_So_, he said amused,_ this is how you turn out._ He gave a short burst of laughter and it rattled around the room and sent chills down my spine.

"Y-you're suppose to...barely alive." I stammered.

_Lies_, he hisses,_ I have been nearly complete. A couple of weeks and I will rise again._ His statement was more then I could bare. I shivered once.

_Are you afraid,_He asked amused.

"No way! Mad yes, scared, never!" It bended my pride alot to even say that. kronos's rattling laughter sounded around the room again.

_Do you know why you are here before me now?_

"No," I admitted grudgingly." But you want information on Percy, you'll have to do it over Annabeth's dead body..which might be better then her being alive," I added after a pasue. I couldn't help it. She was just so...urh! Athena could punish me later.

_You are very interesting to talk to, though I expected more from you,_ He said.

"Just who are yo to think you know me?" I demanded.

_You'll figure it out in oh, 24 hours. For now, begone_. And just like that I was awake.

* * *

Thalia's eyes were the first things that I saw.

"Hey, are you okay? You were very restless," She said. Phoebe came in, the sleeve of her silvery jacket ripped.

"What happened to her?" I asked.

"Oh nothing much. She just had a friendly spar with one of the Apollo campers." Thalia said impatiently.

My heart was pounding and I needed to get out of the room. But I also had to tell someone.

"Thalia, I need to tell you something." I said. "Alone." Thalia stood up and I followed her outside. The sun was up already and warm pink rays shone on my face and arms.

"I saw Luke in my dream,' I said without drawing breath.

"yeah well, wait ..what?"

"Well, I saw him in my dream and then Kronos.." I licked my lips nervously," He spoke to me. Kronos, I mean. And Luke said he knew what my dad was." For the first time, Thalia looked like a kid again.

"Annabeth,"she said automatically,"She'll know what to do."

" Yeah..so, she won't care. All she'll care about is Luke.."

"What about Luke?" Annabeth's pesky voice said from behind me. I spun around.

"Nothing you have to worry about." I said coldly.

"But Luke is my friend and I should get to know."

"Yeah, but he came to my dream so bug off Wise Girl. Don't you have another person to bore?"

Annabeth swallowed and said. "Look...maybe I was out of line yesterday. I men, I thought a lot about what you said and you're right, the Gods have had harsh judgements before and ...and..maybe I was too harsh to judge."

"Are you sensire or is it just because you want to her about about Luke."

"Both," she said.

"Swear on the River Stix," I insisted. She swore and only then did I tell her about my dream, leaving out the parts about what Kronos had said to me. That was personal.

"Well,"Annabeth shifted," Luke is always like that so..but I never knew Hecate was that powerful!"

"I thought you knew everything," I stated. She elbowed me lightly in the ribs and I dodged. As soon as we got to the Dining Hall, all conversation hushed up. I tried not to let it get to me. This time, I didn't sacrifice anything to the gods because if I did, I'd bet they would fry me alive.

Silena, pretty Aphrodite girl got up and tapped me on the shoulders.

"What?" I demanded.

"Um...that girl wants you," She pointed to a girl from the Apollo cabin with frizzy red hair around an otherwise pretty face. Though, her eyes were narrowed into slants.

"What?" I demanded.

"Nothing, just that well...if you want to eat, you know, you have to make a sacrifice to the Gods." She had a snobby voice like she was always bugging someone.

"Yes, I know that." I said as calm as I could.

"So, do it! Oh, wait, the Gods hate you!" I stared at my hands to keep from strangling her. "Your aunt didn't even want you!" I spun around.

"Where did you hear that?" I demanded.

"Oh, well, I heard you on your first day."

"You were spying?" I asked.

"Spying is a harsh word, I'd like to think of it as listening without people knowing me. Besides, I was curious."

"Curious about being more of a B.I.T.C-" Thalia clamped a hand over my mouth. The Apollo girl smirked.

"Yeah, you don't have a family and you aren't even a Demi-God because , well, all the Gods want to kill you!" I stormed out of there. Not before I heard Annabeth explode with fury.

* * *

_Thalia's P.O.V_

The thing with Annabeth is that she is real protective of her friends. Even if they are new, she hates it when people make fun. Plus, Annabeth could relate.

"What was that about, Sheena?" She exploded. I backed up towards Percy and Nico. There were dark circles under Nico's eyes.

"What's going on? Where is Jamie? Who is Annabeth yelling at?" Percy demanded.

"IN order, Sheena was making fun of Jamie. Jamie ran out and Annabeth is about o tear Sheena up. Want to try to stop her?"

"No, I'm good."Percy said. Nico didn't say anything but that wasn't unusual.

"By the way, who came up with the strategy yesterday for your team. It was pretty thought out." Percy said.

"Jamie," The single blank word came from Nico.

"Wow, well..that's..yeah.." At that moment, there was a loud yell of pain and Annabeth yelling," _LUKE IS NOT LIKE..LIKE KRONOS_!"

I sighed as Percy went to break up the fight. I turned to Nico.

"What's up with you?" I asked.

"Nothing. I talked to Bianca last night. She told me something was wrong and after that she told me Kronos was stirring. Also," he looked up," She said that we'll get a suprise at this time." Maybe it was Percy getting kicked in the face by Annabeth but that happened everyday.

A strange gas entered the room, chilly and cold. I shivered, and discovered that I was not the only one. The smell...ugh! It smelled like rocking sewage. Then, I looked up briefly and dropped my tray in shock. The Oracle was walking towards us, green mist and all. The smell was awful enough but when she spoke in my mind, it sounded worse.

_I am the Oracle of Delphi. Speak your wish. _Annabeth's lips trembled with the word 'Luke' about to burst out.

"What happened to Artemis?" She asked instead. I thanked her a thousand times with my eyes. The Oracle opened sightless eyes:

**_three of the eldest, one of evil and two more depart_**

**_at the end of end is where it lights the dark_**

**_two or more for death to claim_**

**_But make haste and light the flame_**

**_The goddess in chains bound to a curse withstand_**

**_One to choose a friends or a fathers hand_**

**_A loved ones fate with evil is to be seal_**

**_two choices, one path of evil must deal_**

**_To find answers sought go naught but west_**

**_the Olympian holds a secret of evilness or bless_**

**_a secret best kept with sealed warrior's breath_**

**_When one becomes three the answer is death_**

And then, she collapsed where she stood.

* * *

_Jamie P.O.V_

I was pretty confused when I saw the Oracle collapse. Chiron got some people to tend to her and turned to Annabeth.

"Do you have any idea what that means?" Annabeth shook her head."I do know that six people are suppose to go." Annabeth said.

"Everybody out!" Chiron called out and they all scattered.

"Wait! Percy, Nico, Clarisse, Thalia and...Jamie..why don't you guys stay?" I stayed back, confused by what was going on. Chiron led us to the Big House. Clarisse was one of the people at camp who didn't seem to care about who I was.

In fact, she was actually the one who had gotten people to stop stealing my stuff.

"Got any idea what this is about?" I asked.

"No idea, punk. But if I have to go, then that just goes to show you how bad this is.'

I twisted a strand of hair in between my fingers. Clarisse punched Percy as he passed. When we got to the Big House, Chiron folded his front legs under him.

"Why am I here?" I demanded.

'I think I have some of the answers from the prophecy." Annabeth had a look in her eyes that made me wary. "The first line said '**_three of the eldest, one of evil and two more depart"._**That meant the child's of the three big gods: Thalia, Nico and Percy. The one of evil meant Ares, I think so you came, Clarisse. And the other two are for Jamie and myself."

She took a deep breath and continued," Then it said '**_at the end of end is where it lights the dark' _**and I think it means the underworld so in California somewhere. The next line I'm sure of is' **_two or more for death to claim _****_But make haste and light the flame'. _**I think that means that two or more of us are gonna die but not for long. I think Nico might have something to do with that, actually. Let's see'**_The goddess in chains bound to a curse withstand' _**that is of course Artemis. And a friends fate is..is Luke. That's about all that I am sure of."

She bit her lip and settled back while the rest of us lapsed around in silence. I couldn't help but to check my watch. I mean, I know kronos was evil and everything but he seemed to be sensire. It was an hour and a half since I'd had that dream. In twenty three and a half hours...

My head snapped up.

"We know another line. It says to find to goddess in chains no naught but west. That means Artemis is being held in the west, maybe,like Annabeth said near where Hades is. The rest is s mystery." That was all I could figure out but I guess it made a difference.

Annabeth's eyes lit up and she tapped her Yankees cap against her leg.

"That means the ...But its so.." While she struggled for words, Thalia seemed to have gotten bored because she was having a wrestling thing with their left hands. Charisse had bulk and skill but traveling around with Artemis seemed to have been an energy boost.

"When do we leave?"

'Thalia asked once she had lost..expectantly.

"Its dawn..nearly so I suggest you leave...now. Oh, an a deadline is to be expected. The Phrophecy..the Great One...the Gods are to be in Olympus in four weeks to scout more Titans. If Lady Artemis isn't there then ...well, she's the best scouter so..just a warning.."

"Great, how are we gonna get to California in less then a week?" I asked.

"Figure it out and stay out of the air, Jamie and the sea...well, any where the gods have reign."

I sighed but nodded.

"Get packed and meet back here in..oh..no more then ten minutes. That's when the cleaning Harpies come out to eat." Annabeth told us. That woke me up a little as me and Thalia went out.

"Are you okay with traveling with boys?" I asked, remembering she was in the hunt.

"Well..the Goddess needs my help and if they are needed, I will not protest." I grabbed a small bag and put down clothes, water, and the few dollars I had still left over. I had no weapon so I still had the sword I had...borrowed from Nico. When the Mist discorded it, it looked like a bracelet..but I couldn't picture Nico wearing a bracelet. Maybe the sword knew I was a girl.

Thalia of course had her monster Aegis on her arm and items in her bag and a bow and quiver.

We decided to go to the entrance of the camp to wait for them. The camp was oddly warm an heady yet at the same time, dark and scary. Annabeth was the last one to come with her hair tied back in a ponytail.

"Hey, is that my sword?" Nico demanded.

"Yeah, so?'

"Where did you find it ?" He asked.

"Uh, I found it lyng around the weapons area and I need a weapon or I'm toast."

"Look, Stygian Iron isn't for you. Try Celestial Bronze Swords or something,"

"Ah, nah. Maybe later," I said. Nico scowled like a little kid but allowed it, eying the metal bracelet on my hands.

"Any idea how to get to California from New York?" I asked.

"Maybe one way," Percy said," But first..we have to visit my mom."

"Percy, this is serious! We can't waste any time at your moms house."

"We have to," He insisted," We need human money and we need a camp. And if we're not gonna be back for four weeks, mom's gonna flip. Come on, Annabeth!" Annabeth hesitated and I could see that her mind was working out plains.

"Fine," she said," But only for a little bit. Artemis has been captured, Percy, and i she can't make it back, the Gods will have our heads." She tapped her cap nervously. "Don't worry, it'll be quick,"

* * *

Percy's mom turned out to be really nice with reddish-brown hair and a smile that seemed plastered on her face.

"Oh, Percy!" She had attacked Percy into a tight hug. "What is it this time?"

She really seemed to know her son then she saw me. "Oh, who is this, Percy?"

"My name is Jamie. Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Jackson."

She smiled back and said," Paul left for his job so..come in, come in!" There were cookies on the table, chocolate chip and we all helped ourselves. Percy and all the rest made a small fire and threw food in it for the Gods.

I didn't, though my chewing slowed until I was barely eating. Thalia looked over at me with the evil eyes.

"Jamie, i know you hate the Gods but , they won't do anything to you. Be polite." I glared at her but didn't do as she asked. "Jamie..."

"Fine," I snapped and chucked my cookie in the flame. It bounced back out, flaming hot and branded on my searing hot burst of flames hurt and I struggled to drop it. I glared at her sourly."Thanks for the helpful advice, Thalia, if I ever want to die, then I know what to do,"

"Sorry," Thalia said, flushing up.

I got up and was about to turn on the sink when I remembered Poseidon. I slammed a hand on the sink, gnawing my teeth in frustration.

"What-"

"The Gods resent her for something,"he answered."They tried to set her on fire yesterday."

"Oh, poor thing. It must be because of her parent. Does she know yet?"

"No, I don't know and I am at a lost for what to do because I have never done anything to the Gods and yet ..." I sucked in a deep gust of wind.

Percy explained our quest to his mom and she pursed her lips, looking concerned.

"You have to be safe, okay?" She handed over the money and gave him another hug, this one I was sure rattling his jaws.

"Oh, this better not be not be like last year," She pouted.

"I'll be fine mom." Percy sounded ...annoyed. His mom looked ready to cry. I wondered exactly how many times Percy had disappeared.

"AT least stay for lunch," She said,. "Just a little bit longer, Percy. I have to run to the bank for your money." Percy opened his mouth to protest and Thalia nudged him sharply.

"Er..yeah, sure." He said. His mom happily went upstairs to his room.

"What? Are you trying to be annoying? You said so yourself that Artemis is in trouble-"

Thalia shut him up with one of her evil eyes.

"Percy, your mother loves you and you have run off so much. This is a small price to pay to be loved by your mom...I would know." I realized Thalia's mom must have died. Percy scratched his head.

"Right, sorry. Right after lunch, okay? Or Annabeth is gonna kill me." Annabeth socked him in the arm.

Nico and Clarisse had been quiet in the background, hands held awkwardly. Poor things. I took two cookies and pressed one to each of thier hands.

"Eat," I told them," And be happy. Why aren't you happy?"

Charisse looked at me.

"Listen here, punk, my father is gonna skin me good if he finds out I'm traveling with runts like him," She jerked her chin towards Percy."He ain't so forgiving to people..I would know.."

I looked at Nico."Why are you like this?"

He shrugged."I don't know. Why do people hate Hades? Who made such thing as the Sky?"

"That makes no sence," I said."Maybe not to you,but to me, it makes a whole lot of sense. It's just like a puzzle."

"Well, then..I'm lost..I stink at puzzles." I told him. "But I do know that I am two seconds away from punching your arm off." Nico stared at me blackly.

My arm came up and punched him hard in the arm."Told ya," I said, shrugging. He rubbed his shoulders.

"Hey, what time is it?" I asked Percy. I really wanted to believe Kronos...how weird that sounded...and see if my Godly parent would claim me. "

Uh...nine in the morning, why?"

"No reason," I said, shrugging. Twenty hours left. That seemed so far away. I was pushed up against the couch with Annabeth on one side of me and Nico on the other. Percy was raiding the fridge, poking in and out of the rooms and sitting down with a bowl of blue popcorn. How weird.

I took a a handful and paused, looking at Nico. I pressed most of it in his hands. He pushed it away from him. I pushed back harder and again he bested me. Childishly, I put a few pieces in his mouth. He choked and swallowed, glaring a time.

"What was that for?" He demanded. "Just checking .." I said and trailed off.

There was that voice in my head again. Kronos. His laughter ran in my mind, making everything icy and cold. I clutched the side of my head in agony.

"Hey, Jamie?" Annabeth said."Are you okay?" I nodded, my eyes going black. How was this happening to me. How was Kronos able to do this? Why didn't he do it to Percy?

The throbbing continued and it worsened and I fell of the sofa, holding my head. Voices floated in my mind.

"Is she okay.."

"What happened to her.."

"Oh my goodness, Jamie!"

"What is going-"

The voices died off and strangely, so did everything else. My eyes opened and froze. Everything was unmoving. Annabeth stared at me without blinking. Percy's mom's hands were in mid air, stuck. They had frozen. So why wasn't I ?

I got up and swayed to avoid the incoming hands. Did I do that? How did I reverse it?

"Uh..undo whatever.." I waved my hands foolishly. Nothing happened."Okay..uh...un-freeze.." Nothing. I was losing my temper. "Oh for the love of...Just...Unfreeze, dammit!" My voice rang out in double tones and everything sped up. Percy blinked and looked at me; Clarisse hit the wall; Annabeth spun around; Percy's mothers hands came down; Thalia's scowl melted into confusion; Nico blinked once.

"Jamie what happened?" Percy asked. I didn't answer. I just had a scary thought. But it couldn't be...

"Jamie?" Annabeth said. I still didn't answer. No, but it couldn't be..but what if..my father was...

"I..I'm fine..I think.." I said. I shook my head.

It couldn't be possible. But what if...just maybe_...No!_

* * *

**Yeah, I know that was a weird way to end the chapter but oh well. Her father will be revealed in the next chapter..maybe.**

**The prophecy has a double meaning behind it and as for Grover and Tyson..well..you'll find out later.**

**Try to guess who her father is. Maybe one of you will get it right. Maybe.**

**Comment and guess. Well..**

**Bye!**


	5. The claim and the new fight

I locked myself in the bathroom for the longest time. Percy had believed the lie I had told him but the others were no fools. They knew something was wrong. My hands quaked and I sucked in a deep breath. I can't believe that had happened. Now, of all the times. No wonder the Gods were made at me but it wasn't even my fault. A flicker of hope lept inside of me. Maybe I was wrong. I desperately hoped so.

Someone knocked on the door and I lept up.

"Jamie? Are you okay?" It was Thalia. I stood up and opened the door, brushing hair out of my face. It seems like my hair has a habit of always getting in my face in an ugly manner. he people in the living room were covering up most of the room, making the air slightly claustrophobic.

"Jamie, were you sick?' Annabeth asked. She seemed geniunely worried, and it touched me. It also occured to me that she actually did care, despite what her rash actions sometimes pointed to.

"Something like that." I muttered. She frowned but didn't press me on it. Sally came in the room, flushed and carrying several brown paper bags.

"Percy, do you have any idea what's outside?" Annabeth asked.

"No, why?"

Annabeth's eyes were confused which was not a good sign.

"There are about three dozen monsters outside but that doesn't make sense! Even with Thalia it wasn't that close to three dozen but...which one of us is too powerful?"

"Not me," Nico said," I don't ever get followed around by monsters."

"And my dad placed wards around me to dim down my...smell."

"I am a Hunter of Lady Artemis,' Thalia snapped," They can't tell the difference."

"well, they never come after me," Annabeth said,," It's usually you three the monsters are after."

" Don't look at me , punk. If any monsters come at me, I'll personally sent them to Tartarus!"

"But then..who?' Annabeth fixed her gaze on me. My stomach did nervous flip flops.

"-i..It can't be me,' I disagreed," I don't even know who my parents are!"

Even as I said this, my voice trailed off. How many times had I seen the monsters in front of me? Since my third birthday. But I didn't bring it up because after all, Annabeth had only started to trust me. I wound a piece of my hair tightly over my finger until my hair started to curl up and sting.

"Well, obviously, one of us led the monsters toward us. Urgh, this is so frustrating!" Annabeth stamped her foot in frustration.

"What are we gonna do?" Percy asked.

"Maybe fight them off," Clarisse said darkly. I didn't like that idea because I couldn't fight one monster off and I seriously doubted I could take on a dozen.

"No," Sally said, "It's too dangerous and people will notice five kids fighting off invisible people. Just stay for a bit longer, until after lunch and then run. If you must fight them, go into the woods or something." There was silence as we all thought about those words.

"It seems like a good idea,' Annabeth decided," Okay, right after lunch, we have to leave."

"Good," Sally said," Because I forget to cook so I brought Chinese food!" Everyone gathered around the table, grabbing dumplings and egg rolls and bunch of other stuff. Only Nico and I were standing. My mouth was dry and the thought of food made my gag.

"Jamie, dear, aren't you hungry?' Sally asked.

"No," I said as evenly as I could," I don't- I don't think I should eat anything if we have a battle in front of us. It wouldn't stay down.' I did feel slightly wrong at the mention of food, and my natural instint was to gag but I held it in, bending over in a ball, sitting upright.

"What about you, Nico?"

"No, thank you" Nico said stiffly.

"Why no?" Annabeth asked.

"Not hungry," He responded. I guess that was reasonable, since he lived with the dead.

Me and Nico sat in Percy's bedroom while we waited for them to finish eating. I was examining his CD collection and Nico was examining the walls, which were a rather dull of white. I had always wondered why Nico didn't talk.

I gathered up my courage and said, " Hey, Nico?" He looked at me in the face and I deflated, not because I was afraid but because I remembered that he was connected to the underworld."Hey, um..have you seen a presence in Tartarus last night?" I asked foolishly.

"Actually, yes."

"Yeah, that might have been me." I said nervously with a shaky 's eyes narrowed and I flinched back.

"You? How is that possible? You were at camp," His liquid black eyes drew the answer from my lips.

"Hecate. She drew half my soul into the underworld and Kronos-" I stopped when Nico's face became strickened.

"What? But then, what I..." he drew a shaky breath," What happened?"

I bite my lip. "Why does it matter? I thought that it didn't matter which is why I didn't mention it." I said, now wishing I had never mentioned it.

"Because your soul can't get out of the underworld. It remains trapped there. And if Kronos grabbed hold of...please tell me that Kronos didn't.."

"Uh,,no, Luke was trying to get Percy but got me on accident," I lied. His face smoothed out and he nodded, not sure of what to think. I sucked in a shaky breath and got up, wincing and then the wierdest thing happened. The lights cut off and my feet tripped over something. The power was out and the windows were closed. I tripped and fell over...at least I thought so until I felt someone catch me. The hands were icy cold but warm at the same time. Stampeding footsteps sounded and the door barged open and candlelight bathed in.

"Uh..were we interrupting something?' Thalia said wickedly. Nico let go of me and returned to staring into oblivion.

"don't be ridiculous," I snapped,' What happened?" Thalia still had a knowing smirk on her face and it was Clarisse who answered me.

"the damned monsters cut out the power line. They have us surrounded." She said tightly.

"How will we get out?' I asked.

"I don't think we can," Annabeth had tears in her eyes and she tried to dab it away.

"This..is just like with Luke,' Thalia said," But it doesn't look like I can help you guys out much at this point." Her voice wavered and she bit her lip. It was only then did I realize how serious this was. We couldn't get out of this alive and if we did then it was guaranteed one of us was gonna die.

" I think we should wait out here," Annabeth said," And try to connect camp...see if anyone there is getting attacked and try to stay alive." It looked like it was the only thing we could do. Their faces were grim but even so, there was acceptance. Not me. My eyes shifted down and that was when I noticed the slight prickle of lightening in Thalia's palms. A plan formed in my brain. Not a very good one but good nevertheless. Only, there would be a condiction.

"Thalia...I think your father can get you guys out of here,' I said," Pray to him. He'll think of something. Nico can just shadow travel out of here.' Thalia's lips were already moving, her eyes closed.

"Wait! What about you?" Annabeth's question made Thalia pause.

I smiled bleakly."I'll just stay here," I said.

"NO!" Annabeth yelled." You'll be killed."

"I know, but the Gods don't want me and I don't think that they will like saving me. Nico can't shadow travel with me for two hundred miles. I am trapped. I'll try to hold them off as long as I can." There as respect in Clarisse's eyes.

"You are one brave punk. Too bad you are crazy as hell." She said and I guessed that was her way of saying ' thanks.'

Percy nodded at me."I don't know what the Gods have against you but they aren't right in the head. Don't let it get to you," He said. Annabeth looked ready to cry and argue with me.

"Annabeth, you are wasting your time. The longer you stay here, the more monsters you attract. One demi god I Will hardly attract them." Annabeth really did have tears in her eyes.

"O..okay, be safe." Only Nico didn't say anything.

Thalia pushed him out with a punch. Nico sighed and turned to me.

"Fine," He said curtly,'Jamie..." He struggled and said," You are a good person and the Gods most not have any brains if they want to destroy that.'

"Aw...thanks!" I gave him a hug and he pushed me back.

"Don't hug me," He said tensely. I grinned even at a time like this. Thalia finished her prayer. At first nothing happened, then suddenly there was a whooshing in the air. I looked up and saw a couple of flying horses had metalized in the air. Pegasi, Annabeth had said. As I had expected, there was only four and Nico was already gone. His shadow flinted away and Annabeth climbed on the Pegasus.

"Well, Good bye, Jamie." She managed out without crying.

I nodded tightly and then they were gone. Now I felt like a fool for thinking I could take on three dozen monsters by myself. I sucked in a deep breath and braced myself. There was an eerie silence that lasted forever. Then, the rattling began. It was a hissing sound and then a frothing sound. I hoped Sally was already gone. Then, all Hades broke loose.

* * *

_Thalia's P.O.V_

The pegasi were fast to say in the least. But my fear of falling made it less enjoyable. Little sniffling noises reached my keen ears. Annabeth's eyes were red and she kept blotting her eyes with her sleeves."I can't we let her take on that army by herself! She hasn't even been to Camp for a summer! She's gonna.' She hiccuped and stopped trying to talk. I felt a little uncomfortable myself. Sure Jamie seemed tough but I had been in her shoes before and I had ended up a tree for seven years.

She had done it to save us but at the same time, I couldn't believe how stupid she was being. Then, I remembered that dad has tried to kill her. Anger boiled in my veins and I uttered a thousand sounless curses to him. He was jsut so prejectice against so many people. He would allow my friend to die to save his ego. Stupid, egoed...

"Do you think that she will actually survive?" I asked. Percy shrugged and he looked very stiff. Oh, yeah, he was in the air.

The air was cold and brisk, good temperature for flying and to glide. I just wished we weren't in the air. Still, it was a sight for sore eyes up here. I looked down once and nearly fell off. The monsters weeren't just monsters, they were giants and snake woman and even those undead skeletons that Nico had finished off two summers ago. How on earth was Jamie going to hold them all off. Then, her words hit me squarely on the shoulders. I guess it accured to Annabeth also because she gasped.

"She's not planning on making it out alive," I said flatly.

"She's only getting them off out track,' Annabeth agreed reluctant to admit her friend's demise.

"She might survive," Percy said hopefully.

"Yeah, right punk. There ain't no way in Hades she can make it out alive or even if she did, no telling if she will be in one piece." That was Clarisse for ya. She never spared antibody's feelings, she only told the horrible truth

"We never know, she might make it out alive," Annabeth said hopefully. I didnt want to crush her dream so I nodded as we continued heading west.

Somehow, I would pay Jamie back for this, I just didn't know how yet. I hoped there would be time. We flew peacefully over the city as Manhatten began to wake up.

* * *

_Jamie P.O.V_

I don't know what you think of when I say all Hades broke loose. But whatever it is, it can't compare to what happened. A huge Hellhound about the size of a truck, barged in threw the window. I almost froze in suprise then remembered that my life was on the line here. I lept forward, only to be forced back by its huge paw. I had to swerve to avoid it and tried to get it from the back. Its muzzle pulled over as I slashed its tail. However, all I managed to do was get it pissed. It tried to swat me away and I was forced to crawl to avoid it.

My hair pressed against my forehead. I couldn't keep this hellhound distracted forever. I wasn't that much of a dog person so I didn't know what to do. I looked for a hiding place. I only saw the small, place under the computer. It had a door closed behind it and there was another door at the back. Maybe I could hide there. It was a vain hope but all I could go on at the moment. Adrenaline pumping threw my veins, I threw myself sideways, scraping my leg. It stung but I barely felt it.

I grabbed the door at the same time and nearly broke it off its hinge as I wheeled around and stuffed myself inside. It was dark and murky and I had to twist to fit. My leg pressed tot he ceiling with my cheek near it and my hands felt like they were gonna break off soon if I didn't take pressure off of them.

Just a few more seconds, I told myself. But my hands were so clammy and I felt really bad.

Not bad like you just failed a quiz but more of a Terror processing you type of thing. My breathing turned slower and my heart slowed down until I heard the slithering of the snake woman.

"Find her,' one of them hissed,' Or Kronos-s-s-s will s-s-skin you alive." My throat felt very dry at the moment. I swallowed and heard them packing into the bedroom. Why, oh why had I agreed to do this again? Oh yeah, because I was an absolute fool. Next time, I would run the opposite direction. Let's hope there would be another time. One of them paused and I decided to face them then wait for them to find me and kill me without me being able to defend myself. I rose up smoothly and felt my legs working out the kinks bunching up in my muscles.

I winced as I got up and saw how many monsters were in the room. At least a dozen. One of the snake woman smirked at me.

"S-s-s- you are her, eh? You look nothing much. S-s-s-s-such a fus-s-s-s over a little girl." I growled at her. I hated being treated like a kid. That really touched a nerve. My knife flashed in my hands as I lurched forward, and it winked like stars as it rose and fell and then the snake person disappeared in a burst of green goop. This time none of it got on me because it was more of a chalky stuff then goop.

The remaining monsters looked even bigger and more menacing then they were suppose to. Maybe it was my fear or something. Then, my sanity snapped and I jumped out the window. I really jumped out of the window, all three stories. The air whooshed past me and made my eyes sting. I braced myself for the impact and a second later found myself on the ground with my face to the hard pavement.

My lungs burned and I sucked in a deep breath and felt a little better. My hands were red with the blood from my thigh but oh well. I got up as quickly as I could in my half dazed stated and took off. I had never seen this city before so I tried to stay out of the way of the most populated places. Some people shot me funny looks as I passed by. I didn't know what they saw, maybe a girl being chased by her imaginary friends or something. At any rate I knew that nobody would believe me if I told them I was being hunted by monsters. Mostly, they would take me to the asylum.

My legs bunched and released as fast as they could but my breath came out in huffs and my heart felt like a drum. I twas beating so fast, it sounded like one continuous note. I stopped when I was sure I was lost. I was in a park and nearly crashed into a tree. Something grabbed my hand. I spun around but it wasn't any of the monsters. No, it was somebody much worse. Luke. He wore a casual button down shirt and leather loafers. His mouth was twisted in a weird smirk.

"What are you doing here?" I gasped. Luke wasn't looking at me.

His attention was focused on the monsters, who had formed a circle around us. Now, I was trapped.

"What do you want?" I demanded. Now he looked at me, a sneer faint around the corners of his lips.

"So direct." He sighed. "No 'hello' or' how are you'?"

"How about' why aren't you in hell, you traitor?" I hissed. His eyes flashed and his hands flexed around his sword.

"I suppose that you have the same assumption as Percy. I did not betray the Gods."

"Yes, you did! You betrayed your family, your friends! Annabeth was crazy when you left. Do you know how hard it is for anyone to look at Hermes now? How could you!"

"how could I?" He exploded. " How could they? They were like me, they hated the Gods as much as I did. They had the same thoughts as me. But the Gods twisted around their minds to believe all the lies. The Gods need to be dethroned and I am gonna be there when it happens. They don't even think about us, their children, only themselves,' Luke glanced sideways at me," Oh, come on Jamie, don't tell me you like the Gods? Look at everything they have done to you. Look at the danger that they are placing you guys in. They could rescue Artemis by themselves but look, they are about to lead you guys to your doom. Don't tell me you don't see it?"

I bite my lip. As thick-headed as Luke was, he actually had a good point.

"How do you know we were suppose to rescue Artemis?" I asked. Luke flashed me a wide smile that nearly blinded me.

"you don't have to know that." I scowled and crossed my arm. Oh, this was perfect. Maybe I could just play for time.

"Why did you leave your mother, Luke," I asked." You should visit her while you still have her. No matter how mad yo are at your dad, surely your mother is okay?'

" That old bat is worse then Zeus,' He scowled. This was scary that his thoughts were the same as mine. I hesitated then drew my arm, which had been reaching out, back in careful. "I can't leave my friends,' I said softly. I made no mention about the Gods because Luke already knew that I hated them with my entire being. Luke sneered at me.

"I never realized how loyal you are," He said.

"oh, no, not loyal." I said," But I do want to hear about both sides of the story, see what they think."

" They won't tell you,' Luke said flatly.

My eyes twinkled.

"I am very persuasive,' I said, grinning oddly. Strangely, Luke nodded.

"You are very...bold. for a little kid like you.' I blew a nerve. I charged right at him, my sword dancing in front of my face. Luke's sword was faster then me and I barely dodged it. It was so close I could see the dangerously sharp edge on it.

"Good but not enough," Luke said. His taunt made red haze cloud my vision. I swallowed and tried to clear it before attacking again. He blocked me with a shield and forced me back. One of the snake woman jeered at me.

"What are you looking at?" With one skilled move, I reduced her to rubble. Luke paused and raised his eyebrow.

I lurched forward and tried to stab at his arm. He dodged almost lazily and disarmed me. No choice, I did a roundhouse kick but instead of hitting Luke, hit a giant and the giant fell back on his butt and flattened half a dozen snake woman. Despite the dangerous situation, I felt the urge to laugh. Luke stopped and turned his back.

"It is time for me to go," He said," I have done all I need to."

The monsters followed him.

"Wait! Are you gonna just leave me here?" I yelled, annoyed.

"yes, I am." He said. i was dumb-founded.

"How rude!' I said foolishly. I mean, I was not a morning person at all. And now I was by myself in Manhattan. This was perfect. Yeah, my life stunk.

"You won't be completely without help,' Luke said easily.

"What?" I exploded.

For an answer he said," Family is nothing if you don't know who they are."

"Another straight answer, thanks Luke. If I want a headache, I have Annabeth for that!"

Luke froze suddenly and the monsters all had horror-struck looks on their faces as they looked at something above my head.

"What?" I looked up and felt shivers erupt from my back. There was an image above my head. I had finally been claimed. Above my head was a red and black scythe, revolving slowly, menacing aura surrounded it. No wonder the Gods didn't like me. I was cursed.

I was Jamie.

Jamie, daughter of...Kronos.

Luke recovered first and said," Now you know who your father is. Just remember what side you really want to be on. How would Annabeth react if she knew." His laugh scared the birds from the trees and then, he was gone. I sank to my knees, staring at my hands. My eyes were wide with shock and I shook with unseen tears.

No way. Kronos couldn't have a kid from Tartarus. I shivered just thinking about it. Then, how was I born? And where was my mother. Kronos...

No wonder he wanted to see me yesterday. Now, I felt so stupid. Of course he would want to see me. He wanted to know if I was worth claiming. Apparently, I was or else this wouldn't have happened. The sky filled with the flapping of wings and horses. A Shadow appeared behind me. I jumped when Nico was suddenly next to me.

"Are you okay?" He asked. I nodded slowly.

"Jamie!" Annabeth said as she lept off her Pegasus."are you okay? What happened to the monsters? Why was Luke here? Who claimed you?"

She paused to draw breathe while I remained silent.

What should I tell them?_' My father is Kronos and I want to join his side?' _Yeah, no, Thalia would flay me alive.

"I finally got claimed," I said softly.

"Was it someone yo expected it to be?' Annabeth asked.

I paued to think. How long had I known about this and yet blocked it out. "Yeah," I said at last," It was. Someone I knew from the beginning."

" I guess being claimed is different then knowing who it is, right?" Thalia asked.

"Yeah," I said," I guess it is."

* * *

**Whew, another chapter done. Sorry it took so long. So you guys were right! It was Kronos. I;ll explain how her Friends got there in the next chapter and sorry if this was rushed. It's like, six in the morning when I started to finish up right before school.**

**Review, comment and look out for the next chapter. Now, I gotta go to school and log off or I'll be late. Bye!**


	6. Nico's confession and McDonald's

**Hello! It's been a long time since I have updated but that was because I had a writer's block and couldn't think of what to write. I want to thank everyone who commented my last chapter.**

**I'll try to make this chapter worthwhile for the wait.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson. Only Jamie.**

* * *

Annabeth gave me the short version of the story: Thalia sensed that something was wrong when she saw Luke walking into a park. It took a while to convince the Pegasus to turn back but then the Pegasus set them back down where it picked them up, in Percy's bedroom. Then, they ran the rest of the way here with the Pegasus right behind them.

"That was a foolish thing to do," Nico said once he had caught up with us. There were twigs in his hair from his scouting.

"Yeah, it sounds like the type of reckless thing Percy might do," Thalia agreed, hitting Percy lightly on the head.

"Yeah well..hey! I am not reckless!" Percy shouted but Annabeth just laughed.

"Sure you're not," She said sarcastically. Percy turned his head away childishly with his hands shoved in his pockets like a pouting puppy. This had Thalia and Annabeth cracking up. Clarisse was sticking to the end of the group, growling some things under her breath that I couldn't make out.

Nico, of course, was hanging around in the back with his sword hung casually over his shoulders. His eyes were black. He seemed lonely, him and Clarisse. I hung back to talk to them. Clarisse glared at me but didn't try to kill me which meant she was warming up to me. Nico glanced at me but didn't talk to me or acknowledged my presence at all. I cleared my throat.

"So...when did you get back?" I asked feebly.

"Oh, I never left," Nico replied," In fact I was tailing you." My blood turned cold and my hands turned to blocks of ice. He looked at me, his eyes dark and expressionless. My heart constricted at the thought of him seeing what had just happened minutes ago.

"You..saw...everything?" I asked numbly, emphasizing the'everthing'.

"Oh, yeah, I saw_ everything_," He said darkly, giving me a look. I opened my mouth to tell him something when Annabeth stopped abruptly. She turned to us, hands on her hips. The look she gave us made me feel wary, like I had climbed up a mountain. Whenever Annabeth got that look, it either meant you were about to get involved in something weird( Percy told me about The sea of Monsters) or she had an announcement to make.

"It is almost night," She said at last," And I think that maybe we should rest for the night then take off in the morning, you know, get a plane booked or something." Both Nico and I opened our mouths to protest.

"Zeus will flay me alive if I enter his realm," Percy said darkly.

"Zeus will fry me with a lightening bolt. Repeatedly." Nico scowled.

"Um...all the Gods hate me, remember?" I said sweetly.

"If he tries to hurt you guys..." Thalia growled out before lightening rumbling in the distance.

"Well, what about Ares? He could get some of his loser Friends to kill us." Percy said.

"Poseidon will probably drown me." Nico said darkly.

"Let's see, the Gods who hate me...Athena, Ares, Hestia, Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Aphrodite, Dionysus, Hephaestus, Hermes and a lot more!" I snarled out. Annabeth frowned and ticked off the Gods using her hands.

"Wait, what am I doing?" She scolded herself. "I don't think that Athena is gonna hurt you if I am with you." Annabeth scowled at the sky.

"Ares won't kill you until he gets rid of Percy," Clarisse growled.

"Oh wonderful," Percy said. I finally agreed to go the hotel but insisted that we stay here the bottom. I wanted to be near the door in case I had to make a quick getaway. The hotel we went into wasn't very big or very grand.

"Hello, um..can we have...two rooms?" Annabeth handed over human money, smiling sweetly. The manager didn't even look at us or asked if we were with adults. He just handed over tow silver keys. He looked up briefly and I swore that I saw a gleam of blue behind his grimy coat. For a second I imagined Luke , I shook my head and started towards the elevator. Someone grabbed me from behind and I paused. Nico was staring intently at me. Annabeth had noticed and her eyes zeroed in on his arm around me.

"Me and Jamie will take the next elevator," He said smoothly," This one is much too cramped." Sadly, this was true. As soon as they left, a feeling of anxiety feel onto my shoulders.

"You have a lot of explaining to do," Nico said bluntly. I sighed.

"I was afraid of that," I said glumly," So..how much did you hear?" I half didn't expect him to answer me but he did.

"Oh, I heard everything," He gave me a look, "Daughter of _Kronos?"_ I hushed him and made sure that nobody had heard.

"Do you mind not saying things like that out loud? If...if the others knew, them,,they would hate me, like the Gods do," I added bitterly. I leaned back against the wall while we waited for the elevator to come down.

"So, what you are saying is that you weren't going to tell anyone?" Nico asked. I shook my head.

"You weren't even suppose to know," I sighed," If you hadn't been spying.." I slapped his arm. At the same time, the elevator came down and I got on with Nico at my heels.

"Stupid spying kid of Hades," I growled under my breath. For some reason this seemed to amuse Nico a lot. There was a tiny smile around his face.

"Your parenting is worse then me," He taunted," At least mine doesn't live in a hole for three thousand years," He laughed while I scowled.

"Please, Nico, do not tell anyone, I'll tell them...later," I said, half-pleading. He seemed to be on the verge of saying no but then changed his mind abruptly.

"N-okay, fine," He said grudgingly.

"Thatnks,"

The elevator door clunk opened and Clarisse was suddenly growling in my face.

"Took you two long enough. No come on, We have to talk." I didn't like the way she had said that or the knife that was in her hands. Almost against my will, I dragged myself out of the elevator and followed her down threw rows and rows of doors. She stopped the second to last one.

Annabeth and Percy and Thalia had already taken up the couch and Clarisse had taken the only chair. Me and Nico sat on the ground, leaning against the walls.

"So, what is this about?" I asked.

"Where to go," Annabeth said,' It would be kind of dumb to go to the airport and ask for tickets in the morning so one of us is gonna have to go now and buy the tickets."

"Annabeth, you are forgetting that three of us can't travel there by air,' I said paitently. Annabeth opened her mouth to retort but nothing came out. There was no way I could risk going into Zeus's territory because .well..I liked living. There was a sudden pain that burst from my temple, like a knife had cut there.

_What is the matter? Are you scared...of my son?_

Kronos's loud laughter was all I could hear, pounding in my ears and making my whole body shake. I grabbed the nearest thing to hold on to. Unfortunately, it turned out to be Nico.

"Jamie, are you okay?" Annabeth asked. I blinked slowly a couple of times before Kronos's laughs left me.

"I'll get on the plane and I'll buy the tickets," I said in a low voice. They all looked at me with disbelief. Well, except for Nico, who looked at me like I was an alien with a third eye coming out of my stomach.

"Jamie..." Annabeth started out calm then she burst out, "_Have you lost your mind_? The moment that you are alone, Zeus is going to kill you! Thalia or no Thalia, he will always try to kill you."

"I know," I said calmly," But if he kills me then the quest to find Lady Artemis will be done for because it needs six people in it."

"Good point," She said after a pause. No one seemed to know what to say after that and I imagined that they were trying to find a way to keep me here. It touched me that they would care about me so much but I didn't deserve it. My father was their grandfather. That thought made me cringe. It was so weird that I locked it away in the back of my head.

"If you are going then I am coming also," Nico said suddenly. This proved to be too much for Annabeth, who looked from me to Nico in confusion, the silliest expression plastered on her face. I couldn't help it and let loose a small laugh.

"Jeez, Annabeth, are we gonna get going or what?" Without waiting for an answer, I went to the door. Nico followed my out to the bottom of the hotel.

"Wait, I think you forgot something," Nico said, grinning the first time.

"I did not," I said," I don't forget anything!"

"Oh, yeah, then where did you put the money?"

I opened my mouth to replace but realized that I had left it upstairs. Nico went upstairs to get it and came back carrying a bright pink handbag. He held it out to me but I shied away from it.

"No way, I hate pink," I grumbled. I crossed my hands stubbornly and Nico glared at me.

A few minutes later, I was holding the dreaded purse and grumbling under my breath. Nico was walking at a brisk pace, seeming to float from shadow to shadow. Stupis son of Hades probally was.

"So why did you change your mind?" He asked finally. Trust Nico to pay attention to details like that.

"Him," I replied honestly. His mouth soured slightly, like he had just sucked on a piece of lime.

"Well, I guess that the Gods are afraid of their new...sister?" He raised his eyebrows at me. I socked him in the arm.

"Ha-ha," I said sarcastically then turned serious," I guess this means that my own family wants to kill me. I'm related to every half blood there is." I frowned."I feel old." I pouted. Nico smiled; just a little twitch of his lips but I could still make it out.

"Nah, you're actually very pretty," He said. The air was awkward for a moment as we both thought about what he had said.

"Gee, thanks, I guess you would be cute...if you smiled," I added. He gave me a rueful look.

"Forget I ever said that," He said," My father is gonna kill me."

"My father will drag me to Tartarus with him," I said," I have it worse. Imagine being related to...Zeus," I made a face. Nico gave something like a ghost of a smile.

"Actually, he's like my most hated uncle," He said. I laughed out loud. I didn't realize until now that this was the longest that Nico had talked to me. And I actually liked his company. Weird, right? I silently prayed that Hades did not hate me like all the other Gods and that he would not blast me to Tartarus for hanging out with his son. We made it to the airport soon after dusk and got the tickets in a matter of time. The guard didn't even ask our age. He seemed only to care about the money.

"I'm hungry," I told Nico.

"So?" He said.

"_So _I want to eat. Where's the nearest diner?" I looked around hopefully but couldn't find anything. Nico pointed to a McDonald's joint that was still open. My stomach grumbled at the mention of food. The place was almost empty with a few flickering lights that kept switching on and off. Nico slid in the shadows and I sat down opposite of him. He ordered b he had the money with him. He slid a coke my way which I drank eagerly. He wasn't touching his Coke and was starting to pick at his fries.

"Nico, why aren't you hungry?" I demanded. He gave a jerk of his shoulders.

"I don't have to eat, Jamie and right now I don't want to." He crossed his arms together and leaned back against the seat. I frowned and grabbed a fry. Almost casually, I leaned forward and tried to force it down his throat. He swallowed it, choking and gagging. He glared at me.

"What the heck was that for?" He demanded, managing to swallow it. I smiled.

If you won't eat it then I will force you." I replied easily. I mean, if he had bought all of this food, he was going to have to eat a little oft it. It was common courtesy. It was how I was raise, by an uncaring aunt and a much spoiled cousin, who was..well...not very pretty or very bright. And they had never cared about me...My mood fell and I slumped back in my seat.

"Hey, are you okay?" Nico asked, seeming alarmed by my chance of mood.

"Just...fine," I said without emotion. He was suddenly sitting next to me, holding an icy hand to my forehead.

"Are you sick?" He asked.

"No, I just...thought about my aunt," I was actually surprised that I was telling Nico of all the people. But I felt comfortablearound him.

"Do you miss her?" He asked.

"No," I said curtly," In fact, she hates me but I just...none of my family likes me. My aunt thinks that I am a useless piece of junk. My..father," I winced at the word, " Wants to use me as a weapon and my mom is dead." I said it all with one breath and sighed. Nico was quiet.

"I lost my sister and my mother and my father only uses me to get revenge. I can relate to how you feel," He said. I realized that he had as much to hate about the world as I did, he only handled it better.

"I'm...sorry," I managed to say without getting all sappy. For the first time, I looked Nico Di Angelo in the face. His eyes were really pretty and his face was so concerned. I felt...

_Oh, my gosh. Ohmygosh._

"I think we should get back," Nico said, looking away. I nodded, confused. When we stepped outside, I felt the cold bitter air bite against my arm. Too late to regret not bringing a jacket, I shivered once.

"Are you cold?" Nico asked. I nodded. "Didn't you bring a jacket?"

"No, I didn't think that it would be very..what are you doing?" I realized that he was shrugging out of his jacket. He took it off, handing it to me.

"Here, you need it more then I do. Just take it," He added as I opened my mouth. Reluctantly, I took his jacket. At first it ws cold but then the smell hit me. It was a good clean smell, just like Nico...

I broke out of my train of thought.

"Thanks," I said.

"No problem." He said and we turned back to go to the hotel.

_What on earth had just happened?_

* * *

_To the Gods of Olympus._

"Grrrrr, " Zeus rumbled,' That girl...daughter of Hades indeed."

"What I would like to know is.. how did Kronos father an offspring from Tartarus?" Hera broke in, leaning back on her chair. The girl was a threat to her family and that was unacceptable.

"I..don't know," Athena said reluctantly. The Gods sat in stone silence for a while. Something_ Athena _didn't know? Aphrodite tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"Oh, they are so cute!" She gushed.

"What is it?" Zeus asked, looking over to the Goddess of Love. She had not been this excited since Paris and Helen and the Trojan war.

"Jamie and Nico, they are the perfect couple. And Annabeth and Percy!" Poseidon and Zeus exchanged glares and Athena glowered at Poseidon. That was unacceptable. Poseidon caught Athena's glare and the air between them became thick with tension.

"Hades wouldn't like that.." Hera started. This distracted the two gods enough for them to look over. Aphordite clapped her hands togehter.

"Oh, pah! That is true love with obstacles and ooohh, I _love _Young love!" Athena sighed, turning to her sister.

"That would be a bad idea.'" She said flatly.

"Oh, Athena, you wouldn't know love if it hit you over the head, reciting one of Apollo's Poems." Aphrodite said happily.

"And you wuldn't know logic if it danced in front of you with billboard and carry Mt. Olympus,' Athena shot back.

"Aw..family..." Hera said fondly.

"Ain't it a right pain in the ass..." Athena smacked Ares in the head.

"Bloody woman,' He snarled.

The Gods once again witnessed one o Athena's and Ares's arguments. And so the day wore on.

* * *

**A million sorry's if the chapter sucked. I woke up at about 5 every morning to be able to type it up today. If I made any mistakes, it is ecause I haven't had a good nights sleep in..well, forever!**

**So, I added a few Jamie and Nico moments and Ncionow knows about Jamie's father.**

**Be sure to comment and I'll post up my next chapter as soon as possible.**

**Bye!**


	7. random fights and broken noses

**Chapter seven is up. Thanks to the people who reviewed my last chapter. I am really gonna try to make this chapter more exciting. No guarantees.**

**Disclaimer: It is safe to say that I am not a boy and since I have not published any best sellers or books...yet...it is safe to say that I do not own Percy Jackson. It was only by luck that I owned Jamie. Enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

We left at first morning's light and crept in the shadows. Then, we started running. My legs worked as fast as they could be sadly, I wasn't a very fast runner.

"Jamie, can you run?" Annabeth asked me, concerned.

"Of course I am," I snapped but instantly regretted that snub," Sorry. Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired, you know?"

"Who wouldn't be," Percy put in," I mean, you faced three dozen monsters, Luke, had Kronos enter your mind, had Gods almost kill you and bought plane tickets in a length of thirty six hours. That is very impressive, Jamie." I thanked him a million times in my mind. I regretted ever saying that he was an idiot...wait, no I didn't. He will always be an idiot but now he was a tolerable idiot. At least more tolerable then usual. I bit my lip to hide my laughter. Gosh, what the hell was wrong with me.

"Jamie, I think that you should go to sleep,' Annabeth said hesitantly.

"What? No,_ no ,_I'm fine." I swayed slightly where I stood and my legs struggled under my weight," I'm fine, really. Just need some water to splash on my face." I gave a mad laugh that scared even me. The reason that I was so afraid to sleep was because I didn't want to be haunted by Kronos in my dreams. I still shuddered whenever I thought of what had happened the first time. By now all of my friends had stopped and were giving me concerned look. Well, Annnabeth was concerned; Percy was wild; Thalia was bored; Clarisse just growled and Nico was...well, Nico. He spared me one look of utter blankness and turned away again. Sometimes I think that he was avoiding me because of what had happened at MacDonald's last night.

"Really? You don't sound fine," Nico said loftily," You probably need some sleep." I was desperate. I couldn't face Kronos so soon.

"But my _father _might try to contact me soon," I said, hoping that Nico had gotten the hint. Apparently, he had. His mouth thinned a little.

"Oh? Your father is a God? Which one?" Annabeth asked, altogether too curious.

"You probably wouldn't know of him," I mumbled," He's...uh..not mentioned on Mt. Olympus much." I could said that much with truth because none of the Olympians would ever mention their villainous father. My father, I thought and cringed inwardly at the strange thought.

"Oh, I know all the Gods. Which one is he?" Annabeth asked again. I changed topic hastily.

"So, where are we suppose to go? I mean, how are we suppose to get there?" I corrected myself. Anything to get of the topic of Kronos.

"Well, we should continue to head out and try to stay west. We could travel in a boat if it wasn't for..,"

"If it wasn't for Me and Nico," I finished off coldly. Surprisingly, my voice was completely cool yet so cold, Annabeth flinched. She ran a hand threw her hair and tapped her Yankees cap nervously against he leg. She seemed to be thinking about this harder then necessary. What was so hard about apologizing? Oh, yeah. Any spawn of Athena would rather be burned alive then admit that they have a flaw.

"I'm not gonna pretend that this journey wouldn't be easier if you or Nico weren't here. Actually, Nico would be okay but.." Me and Annabeth had always been on rough grounds because her mother hated me. This time, I actually almost snapped. Actually, I took a step forward and Annabeth lept back.

"So, basicly, it's all my fault?" I asked.

"I never..,"

" My fault that Luke wanted t talk to me instead of you."

"He wasn't..,"

"That the only reason that we are still here is because of me." Annabeth chewed her lip.

"I won't deny that it would be faster and easier without you here." She said at last. I huffed angrily and turned on my heel, walking towards the waft. I forgot momentarily that I hated the water and sat down at the dock, swinging my feet against the wooden boat on the water. Damn Annabeth! The worse thing was that I knew she she was right. I sighed and flipped back my hair. Now that my sudden anger had vanished, I realized something. I was lost.

I had no idea how to get out and I didn't know this city. Fabulous. Just perfect. Just my luck. And I was freezing! Add that and when I saw Annabeth again, I would have t apoligize. Urgh! I do not aporgize. Essecially to Annabeth. She is stuck up and no good and always had to be right about everything. No wonder Luke left.

I sighed and leaned back. I was lost but I was lost in the good part of town. Despite myself, I was actually very tired. I wanted nothing more then to sleep but sadly, I couldn't. Not unless I wanted to have nightmares about nightmares. Wait, did that make sense? Well, I really don't care. I watched the sky for a while then I heard the voices.

"Jamie! Jamie?"

"hey, where are you, scum?"

"Hey, where did you run off to?"

".."

"Hello," A voice said beside me. I jumped up.

"Gah! Oh, Nico! You nearly gave me a heart attack! And will you quit that?" I said it all in one breath, trying to slow down my heart rate.

"I could but it's really fun to see your face every time it happens," I scowled and aimed a blow at his head. He dodged it easily and was suddenly behind me. I scowled.

" _Will you quit that_?"

"No, it is my only joy in life," he said in a monotone. I waited for him to burst out laughing. When he didn't , I burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" He asked.

"You...happy- joy!" I choked out. He looked confused for a moment. Then, a ghost of a smile crept up on his face. He looked rather sweet when he smiled. I was so surprised that I froze.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" He asked.

"No! I mean...did you just smile?" My voice was more disbelieving then I had intended. I hoped that he wasn't insulted. Thank goodness, he had a sense of humor.

" What, did you think that I was an emotionless bark?"

"..." Nico rolled his eyes at my bold statement.

"You've got a lot of nerve insulting a son of Hades, you know. He can make the underworld excruciatingly painful for you. I imagine that he wants to boil Percy in an acid fountain for all eternity. I wonder what he would do to you." He was thoughtful for a second, all serious again.

"Well, Annabeth has a lot of nerve insulting a ..d-daughter of K-k-kronos," I stuttered out the word," I can make her life be so fast that she won't be able to take control. Or I could slow down all the bad times in her life. Yeah, that would be fun..what?" I added as Nico shot me a look I couldn't read. He sighed and crossed his hands. I patted the ground next to me.

"Come on. Sit down. I don't bite," I added.

"No, you slow down the bite," He grumbled but sat down nevertheless. He was silent for a while.

"You know that Annabeth has had a hard life." He started and I froze up.

Great, now he wanted to talk about _Annabeth_!

"Her father remarried and she feels like she can't have a normal life. Then, she runs away from home then meets Thalia and Luke. And then, she finds out that she is a Demi-God and gets claimed by Athena. You can imagine the shock, I believe? Then, when she feels like she has a family again, then disaster strikes. Thalia gets turned into a tree because she wasn't smart or strong enough to protect herself and Thalia payed the price." He paused then continued," Then, it is only her and Luke and soon she meets Percy. When she finally has happiness again then Luke betrays them. That must have been emotional for her. Then, she finds out that Luke is working for Kronos and is convinced that it was her fault that Luke or Thalia had gotten hurt. She still can't stand it when somebody insults Luke. She is still that protective of him. Her mother is the wisdom Goddess so she has to know what is the smart choice, not what is the correct choice. If she had to decide between saving her friends or herself..well. she knows that she should save her friends but she always choices to save her own life and feels guilty afterwords. Understand now?"

I was silent for a while.

"yeah, I get it," I said bitterly.

"You do?" He says, surprised. I stood up.

"Yeah, I get that you all care about precious Annabeth so much and I get that you all are trying to protect her! You say that she has no family, look at her! She has friends and she has people who are about her! Everybody at camp loves her and all the people who meet her are all thinking that she is perfect! She has never had it rough! In fact, she had everything and she was throwing it all away for one boy!"

I breathed heavily." I've lived with my aunt since I was two years old. I never go to see my mother and my aunt never cared about me. She only cared about her own daughter, Pami. I was a throw away that she didn't want. And the only reason that she took me in was because she cared about my mother like she would never care about me. Pami came first and she was given all the new things and I got her old stuff. A-A-And then she got a boyfriend so she is never home and Pami is always bringing over her Friends who mock me and ..and my aunt would not listen to all the proof I have that Pami isn't that little girl she use to be. She thinks she's had it rough! What I just said wasn't even half the things that..that...,"

I hiccuped and gave a shaky laugh.

"I am getting so emotional," I muttered," For..forget I ever said that." I sucked in a deep breath. I knew that I was gonna regret not getting any sleep last night. I turned o my heel and started t walk away.

"i need to cool off. Nico..don't come after me. You guys can go ahead and cross by water. I'll stay here." I began to stumble blindly across the bank of the river.

"Jamie...,"

"I'll be back!" I yelled over my shoulder. My head started to point as I ran to the old abandon park I had passed. I twas a bad headache and it pulsed and throbbed. I pushed the undergrowth out of the way under the slides and curled up, my eyes closed. I needed some sleep. Especially now.

* * *

_Nico P.O.V_

I found the others by the new park that had re-opened. Clarisse was the only one no sitting around a fire even though it was the morning and mosquitoes were still buzzing in the air. When I looked at Annabeth, I tried to figure out what had led Jamie to think that Annabeth had a perfect life. I mean, she seemed miserable and she lept up when she saw me.

"Did-you-find-her-and-is-she-okay?" She asked in the same breath. I blinked and backed away from her sudden movement because right now, he was right in front of me.

"Eh...yeah, I saw her and she's fine. She just wants want to be alone for a while. She also says that you guys can travel by sea if you want to and she can stay here.'

"Oh, don't!" Annabeth suddenly wails, startling Percy who fell," I-it was all my fautl! I've lost anothe friend and..I-i have to go and fix things. Was she terribly upset? Is she mad at me? Please, tell me that she isn't crying!" This was the reason that I avoided Annabeth. Sure, she was a cool girl, and an amazing fighter but when it came right to it she was just too...emotional. Hello, Son of Hades. Hates feelings. But I guess that it had never accured to her. Weird girls. Both of them. All of them.

" I..well, she wasn't crying," I managed out the truth but only by a little bit. Annabeth didn't look convinced but she sat down willingly enough. She nervously ran a hand threw her hair, accidentally knocking off her Yankees cap. It stopped and rolled at Percy's feet and he picked it up.

"Really, Annabeth, isn't it suppose to be me who's all freaked out and you are the level-headed one?" He asked. He placed the cap back on her head. Annabeth managed out a smiled before her hand smacked out and hit him.

"Who says that I am not level-headed, idiot?"

I struggle not to roll my eyes. Clarisse seemed as bored as I was and she was the one who spoke.

"So, who do you think is her parent?" The mood changed. For them, it had lightened. But for me, it darkened slightly. I had promised Jamie that I wouldn't say anything. This was heading in a very weird direction.

:I really don't know," Annabeth said, distracted and her nose wrinkled at not knowing something." I..have a few people in mind but I might be wrong,' She added at Percy's hopeful face. There was silence.

"Well, punk?" Clarisse growled. Thanks a lot, Clarisse. Thank you so much. I crossed my hands and leaned back.

"Well, I thought maybe Zeus...," She trailed off.

"What? But Zeus hates her guts!" Percy snorted.

"I know," Annabeth said, flustered," But not all the Gods like all of their children! And her personality and Thalia's was so similar and _...why the hell are you rolling your eyes, seaweed brain_?"

" Whatever, now what's the other guess," Percy said hastily. I silently sighed on the inside. If Annabeth's guess were as far fetched as that, then Jamie's secret would be safe for now. Unless...that had been the most unusual and the others ere actually well thought of. Now, we_...she_...had a problem.

"Well,' She said," I thought maybe...oh, I don't know...Hermes?"

"What? You think that she is Luke-s half sister?" Percy said. Annabeth turned a litle red and she scowled.

"Well, I thought that it made sence," She said, sullen," It would explain why Luke is only talking to her and why the Gods don't like her. They don't want another one of Herme's kids getting loose...,"\

"Oh, please," Percy snorted," You just say that to geel better about Luke choosing to talk to Jamie instead of you! You thought that if they were siblings that it would make sence for Luke to be hanging around her so much. You think that to heal your wounded ego. You are jealous..."

"Percy!"

"...of Jamie because she has Luke's attention and you..."

"Percy, don't you dare finish that!"

"...like Luke and are feeling like he has betrayed you. Am I correct?"

There was silence and Annabeth turned even redder.

Of course. That explained so much...why Annabeth didn't like Jamie...why Annabeth always got up in a temper whenever somebody insulted Luke..it all _fit._What insulted me was that it had been no brain Percy who had figured it out. I felt like I should be insulted but I wasn't. In fact, I was rather glad that the topic had changed from Jamie's parentage to Annabeth's little not-so-little crush on Luke.

"Well-that's not...I am not...I have nothing to be jealous about." She finally managed to say without blushing. Again, weird girl.

"Are you serious? Oh, I dunno. She is pretty smart and she is kinda pretty..don't you think, Nico?" My head snapped up.

"No way in hell do I like her!" I exclaimed, feeling insulted. I would not fall for a human girl. Well, daughter of Kronos but whatever!

"Oh, I dunno," Thalia put in," I think that maybe you do like her. And you two make such a good couple!" I rolled my eyes and scowled.

"Go back to gossiping about Annabeth and Luke," I said," And leave me out of it.'

"Thanks, Nico," Annabeth scowled,' Thanks a lot."

"Your welcome."

* * *

_3rd person P.O.V_

_Oh, no, no, not again, this can't be happening again!_

That was Jamie's only thought as she began to descenddown into the darkness. There was a new change to the atmosphere. Candles. Black and red candles that held no warmth, no heat. And they were everywhere. They were on the tables, perched on the window panes and suspended above the ground. They dripped wax and made an odd sheen cast upon her reddish-brown hair. It felt like a funeral pyre. And everything was icy cold and the whole place was eerie and unfamiliar.

Teh room wih the golden coffin was dripping with even more candles. They were cold and they did not flicker. They held their shape and did not stir. Hundreds upon hundreds filled the room. And it wasn't just that. There were more people here then she had remembered, almost filling up the entire room. She didn't really fear them but it did make her unease. Especially when one of the Demi-Gods , Ethan, started to check her out. That made her mad.

"And what are you looking at , idiot?" She hissed forgetting where she was.

"Hmm, nothing, I don't know why Lord Kronos wanted us to meet you. You aren't anything special. What can yo even do?" That was scorn if she had ever heard it. And it made her mad that Kronos had yet to tell his followers that she was his child.

"Oh, really? Tell me, Ethan, would Kronos call me here if I wasn't important?" She asked coolly.

"I never said that you weren't special. I just said that you aren't nothing to look at," He smirk. That was it for her self- control. With a loud and sudden smack, her hand connected with his nose. It made a satisfying 'crunch' in between her fingers and it started to gush out blood.

"Don't ge cocky with me, one-eyed." She snarled. At that moment, the horrible voice was inside her head.

_Oh, Jamie,_ He said amused,_ can't you keep your temper for more then ten minutes?_

_"_ I could but with him here, then he should be lucky that I don't rip his head off,' She spat.

_Hmm, well, even so I can't lose a warrior yet. Try to keep your temper in check._

"What the hell am I doing here?" She demanded.

_I wanted to see your reaction at being claimed. Not at all what you had expected, was it?_

She scowled.

"How did you and my mother meet?' She demanded.

_Ah, Ciara,_ he said_, Yes, she was rather special. It was a shame that she wasn't very good at dodging attacks by magic form Hecate here_. He sounded so amused it made Jamie seeth with anger_._

_"_Hecate killed my mother?" She spun around and spotted the silky black hair of the witch queen.

"You...you witch! How dare you kill her!" She spat. Hecate glared at her with distaste but out of respect for Kronos, kept her mouth shut. Jamie took a deep breath and turned back to Kronos. Kronos enjoyed baiting his daughter a little too much.

"So what am I doing here? I thought that you were gonna leave me alone from now on." She had to admit thtat she kinda liked being down here. It felt...natural.

_Oh, why would I do that when the real journey is still ahead? No, you still have your uses yet!_ He projected his thoughts to the room. Everybody but Jamie and Luke winced.

_I have called you here to see the only person you are not to touch during or after the journey._

"No...," Jamie whispered.

_My own flesh and blood. My youngest daughter, Jamie._

And that was when she woke up to the sound of the awful laughter still ringing in her ears. Now the entire underworld knew.

_The real journey is still ahead. _What had he meant by that? Jamie couldn't find any answers. She stared down at her shaky hands and slowly started to make her way back to camp.

"Jamie! I am so sorry!" Annabeth flung herself against Jamie.

"It's okay, Annabeth. Sorry that I freaked out." She took a deep breath." But I think that we should travel by sea. It's the safest way."

"Are...you...crazy?" And the person she had least expected to protest was standing there. Percy. And Nico.

* * *

**Urgh! I am sooo sorry if this chapter sucked. This really wasn't how I had imagined this chapter turning out but I didn't plain for this chapter so I guess that it was okay. But it is your views that tell me if it was okay or not.**

**Just to clear it up, Ciara is Jamie's mother and I will mention how she died in later chapters.**

**Thanks to all my faithful viewers and to the people who comment. **

**I promise the next chapter won't be so..random. Bye**

**-Tenshi**


	8. annabeth's truth and Kronos's plan

Wow, I can't believe how much you guys liked the last chapter! I thought that it was one of my worst. But your comments proved me wrong! About the delay between this chapter and the last one...uh..I had a bunch of test? Actually it was writers block but I blame school. Uh...I really don't have a lot of things to say right now so...

Remember that I do not own Percy Jackson. I only own Jamie. Have I said this before?

* * *

I want to go on the water. It is the fastest way there."

"Are you crazy?" The person I had least expected came forward with a protest. Nico.

"What? It is the fastest way there and you know that we have to save Artemis," I said matter-o-factly.

"Artemis can rot for all I care." He snarled and Thalia glared at him." You don't understand, Jamie. Because of your..your fatherthings are gonna be attracted to you from the water. Bad things. You could wake up the old sea Gods and cause some people we wouldn't rather have on our tail." I winced because what he said was true. If I went on the water, then the old sea Gods would sense me and my scent must be very close to Kronos's and they would ruin my secret and get my friends killed. Also, the mer-people might think that I was an enemy and shot and me and then get me killed after revealing my secret. But if I didn't do this, then Lady Artemis would be trapped forever an then the Gods would kill me, after revealing my secret.

My head started to hurt from all the thinking that I was doing. I was deadlocked. I couldn't chose without some kind of consequense. Drat. I knew that I had bad luck but come on!

"Y-you are right," I said grudgingly," But I can't travel by feet or by air. How the hell am I suppose to keep up with you guys. I don't have super speed!" I glared at him, hands on hip. Behind me I heard Thalia and Annabeth whispe something behind my back. I was tempted to turn back and yell at them but I didn't. I was actually proud of myself for keeping my temper in check. I suddenly realized how weird this would look to the rest. With Nico just a mere two feet from me and him being concerned.

"I think that I know how you can travel by land and the otters can travel by foot," He said finally, calming back down to his old emotionless old self that made me tempted to actually hit him.

"What is it, pray tell?" I growled out. Percy and Clarisse had stopped arguing and listened in on me and Nico. Even Thalia and Annabeth were listening!

"Shadow travel," He said simply," It's fast but you will have to rest every night or so but it is as fast as a ship, perhaps more."

"I know about shadow traveling but I can't..." The color drained out of my face," No! No...you don't have to!" I insisted. It suddenly dawned o me what he was trying to do. He was going to shadow travel with me and we would catch up with the others and night or so. But I hated Shaow traveling because it made me all sick afterwards. Besides, the speed didn't agree with me.

_Speed shouldn't be a problem for my daughter,_Kronos siad slyly in my mind. Okay, so I couldn't use the speed excuse but I still didn't want to. I bit my cheek painfully.

"But you told me that you get really tired if you go long distances for long times. And that's without carrying somebody," I reminded him.

"We'll only be shadow-traveling for a few minutes a day and resting for the rest," He said.

" Why do you care so much now?" I demanded.' I mean..last time you tried to shadow travel with me, you nearly passed out."

" That was then and this is now," He said calmly.I crossed my arms and scowled, looking at Annabeth and Thalia for help. Annabeth looked thoughtful at least.

" Oh, it's not a bad idea, Jamie, you guys will get there long before we will and you'll get to rest and avoid seasickness," She said cheerfully.

" Yeah...and You'll be with Nico," Thalia put in slyly. I scowled.

" And how the heck is that good?" I demanded.

" Well, now when Luke comes then you have somebody to defend you," Annabeth said almost wistfully.

" I don't need anybodies help," I said," I have all time in the world,' I looked at Nico as I said it. He looked confused but was smart enough to not say anything. Percy, however, had to put in another subject that I would rather avoid. I mean, he was getting on my nerves.

" Hey, where did you say you lived in again?" He asked. His green eyes were curious but I shot him a look of disdain. I hated that subject.

" I don't want to talk about it," I mumbled but sighed when I was met with three curious gazes," I live with my aunt and my cousin in San Francisco. Pami is always so weird. She always tries to get boys to pay attention to her but nobody ever does and my aunt blames me for that. She blames me for everything. That's why I was rarely ever home. I only stayed there cause I didn't have enough money to run away."

" Hey, my dad lived in San Franciso and Atlas's Moutain is near it. That's where we are going. Do you mind if we pop in once we're there?" Annabeth asked.

' Yes," I said," My aunt's husband died and now she has this new boyfriend whom I hate because he always spells funny...like snot or something. And if you say that you are my friends, then she'll have a gun pointd to your head faster then you can blink. Yes, she hates me that much.'

" You would have gotten along rat with Luke," Thalia mused,' You guys almost have the same past...,"

" Well, hey when are we leaving?" Annabeth injected. I had a feeling that she was only sayingthat to get off the topic of Luke an me having anything in common. Actually, for once I was glad for her pesky comments.

" Yeah, when are we leaving?" I asked, looking at Percy and Thalia.

" I dunno. It's Annabeth's quest so I guess that it depends on her," Thalia said and her stomach rumbled hungrily," Although I would like some lunch first," She added. Annabeth smiled and said," I guess that we are all hungry. There should be a fast food place around here somewhere. I think, maybe a burger king or something."

We found the nearest fast food place and nearly fell over ourselves smelling the food. Everybody except for Nico and Clarisse. I sat next to them with Annabeth, Percy and Thalia sitting on the opposite side of us. For a while, none of us spoke, too absorbed in eating our food then talking. After a while, my chewing slowed and I looked at Nico through the corner of my eye. He had a half eaten burger in front of him and his fries weren't even touched. But he leaned back like he was done eating.

" Is that all that you are eating?" I asked after swallowing my last mouthful.

" I'm not hungry," He said in a monotone. I turned to Clarisse who had gone very stiff." Hey, what's wrong?" Instead of answering, she reached a hand for her electric spear which she called Maimer. Really, it was an impressive weapon but the name was kind of boring. I scanned the area with my eyes but couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. There were only three booths besides ours that was filled up. There were five or six people squeezed into each one. They didn't seem to be eating anything and they didn't move a lot. But that wasn't so weird. I mean this was New York. I would be suprised if something was normal. One of them reached a hand up to flip back its hood and its sleeve slipped down. Hands that wee clawed and scaly and reptilian. A snake-demon.

I nudged Nico with my foot and nodded with my chin to the tables. He nodded and leaned forard casually to tell Thalia. Annabeth was stiff for a while and her eyes roamed the people hopefully, like she hoped that one of them was Luke. Thalia fired the first shot at the one I had notice and it hit the snake woman on the arm. In a matter of seconds, she had disenagrated. The bad new was that the other monsters spun around to face us with swords and javelinsand arrows. The other bad new was that they were half bloods and I didn't want to kill them. The otherbad news...

" Luke!" Annabeth choked out. It was Luke, his sandy blond hair standing up and a scowl light on his face. He was surrounded by a group of monsters and a roll of nausea hit me. Half of them were monsters, the other half were half-bloods and among them was that little weasel blew my secret I was gonna blow him up. His lips twitched like he had an annoying fly buzzing around his ear. Percy looked the same way.

" Luke," Ananbeth said," What are you doing here?"

" Can't I eat i peace and quiet? I am human and I do need my nutrients. It's not like I am a Titan." He flashed a crooked smile." How's it going, cuz? You look so...raggedy." He gave a short, humorless laugh. I couldn't tell who he was talking to: Percy, Annabeth, Thalia or me.

" We've been fine," Annabeth said.

" Really? Then, how come you haven't started your journey to save...,"

" Artemis," Annabeth blurted out. I shot her a look and elbowd her sharply in the ribs. She looked ashamed and bite her lip to keep from talking. Luke had a hand shoved in his pocket and I had a feeling that he was somehow contacting Kronos or something.

' What we do and when we do them is none of your business, Luke," I sneered at his name. Annabeth shot me a hurt look which I ignored. I mean, if she loved Luke so...wait...Loved Luke. I froze and shot her a look through the corner of my eyes.

" What?" She asked.

" Oh, nothing-nothing...," I would confront her about it later and find out why she hated me so much. I had a feeling it had something to do with Luke. And speaking of Luke...why was he here. I turned back around to see that a fight had already sprang up. Dang it. Why was I missing stuff like that? I withdrew my...Nico's sword and raised it as a snake-woman lept at my face. I stumbled back and reached an arm out and the black sword cut threw her like butter. Her essence was absorbed in the the sword and she was no more.

But the fight was far from over, it was only my adrenaline that made it seem worse then it really was. Or maybe it really was that bad. Thalia had half a dozen monsters rammed at her, backingher up to a corner. Her metal bracelet had been thrown carelessly down on the floor and it would be a while before it appeared back on her hand. Clarisse saved her, stabbing the monsters in their guts and trying not to hurt the demi-gods too much, usually just aiming a blow at their feet and sending them toppling forward.

Percy was fighting and hackingall he could reach with his sword and Nico, well, I couldn't see him so I guess that he was gone or something. And Annabeth...

" NO! Annabeth, what are you doing?" I tried to close the distance in between Annabeth and Luke and nearly failed. Annabeth had her back turned to Luke and seemed to be trying to talk to him though turned away. Luke's sword, Backbiter, flashed in his hads. I closed my eyes and lept in between the distance in between them. Blood splattered on Luke's clean red shirt and the fight momentarily stopped. Annabeth's eyes widened and she fell to her knees. I slumped forword, the weight of a thousand knives on my shoulders. Blood steadily soaked through my shirt and I shuddered where I landed. Luke looked stunned and called out a retreat. Right before he left and I didn't see him. All I saw was the floor but he called out in a husky voice," I...'m sorry," And I couldn't hear him anymore.

Percy sheathed his sword and knelt by my side. When he tried to grab my arm, I cried out in pain.

' Where-where did he hit you?" Annabeth tried to swallow but the sound was dry. She grabbed my unhurt arm and succeeded in helping me up. My legs rumbled and I nearly fell over. Something back entered my limited amount of vision and I smelled something like snow before somebody caught me.

" What happened to her?" Nico asked.

" Luke-luke stabbed her in the arm because of miss prissy here," Clarisse growled. I made a faint noise of disagreement but as much as I hated it, I knew that she was right. If it hadn't been for Annabeth and her crush on Luke, none of this would have happened in the first palce." Where were you?" Clarisse continued.

" Stopping back-up from reaching Luke," He said,' There were half a dozen more monsters coming around the city. Someody had to stop them." He helped me sit up and hovered close by while Clarisse whipped her bloodied spear on the helm of her pants.

' We need to get hr help and fast," Nico said,lloing at me,' Normally, I would say ambrosia and nector but...it's a gosds drink and I think the gods may ...," He didn't finish his sentence but I knew what he was saying. It might not be safe for me t eat any ambrosia because it ws for the gods and thier kids. I didn't know how I would react tot it so I shouldn't eat any. I didn't want any anyway. Anything the gods made might be poisoned for me. I winced as pain shot up my arm and jerked my arm back from whatever had touched me.

' I -i think that we should camp out at a hotel again,' Annabeth said in a hollow voice," She's hurt and there is no point in goingto the same direction as those monsters. We'll just have to double our pace tomorrow." She strapped her knife to her arm and stood up." We'll stay the night. We need to get moving." Without looking back, she began to walk away. Nico helped me steadily on my feet.

" What have you bee eating rocks or something?" He huffed. I hit up on the head with my unhurt arm.

" Geez, Nico! Don't you know that you never make fun of a girl's weight?"

" I thought you didn't ask their weight," He said. I huffed.

" Same thing," I grumbled and added," I weigh perfectly average. It is not my fault you are incapable of lifting up a penny." I sniffed. I gritted my teeth and held on to a bundle of his shirt when he hit top speed." What are you doing?" I demanded hoarsely. i was surprised that I could even even talk while shadow traveling. So was he.

" What does it look like?" He said clearly," I am taking you to the hotel. This is the fastest way there," He stopped suddenly, almost lurching forward and sendingme toppling forward until I grabbed on to his sleeve. He blinked like he had been shocked and shook his head a couple times. Then he sat me down adn walked calmly into the hotel. I grumbled and put a hand to my sleeve to see how badly I was injured. I could feel the mark there, long and puckered and deep. I traced it by touch alone and felt a deep place in a perfect circle where most of the blood was getting ff. It was right on my shoulder blade and where I had touched it made it sting.

There were footspes behind me and Percy and the rest were behind me, panting from running.

" Where's Nico?" Annabeth asked hollowly.

* * *

_Annabeth P.O.V_

" Where is Nico?" I asked in a dead voice. Jamie spun around, eyes wide. Her shirt was now covered in blood and her other arm was holding her shoulder. Her red hair was splattered with scarlet blood. My fault. All mine. Because of me Jamie had gotten hurt. How many times had Percy told me that Luke would cause nothing but trouble for me? Fro the first time, I understood and felt like an idiot.

" Oh, I think that he wen to rent our rooms," She said lightly. I could hear the pain behind her voice and understood that she was trying to mask up her pain so I wouldn't blame myself. It made me feel like I was the worst person on earth. I had never hated Jamie at all. I hated her because she reminded me too much of Luke.

" ell then we should go up and ...get cleaned up," Thalia said in her aloft voice and went without waiting for an answer. I could see how much effort it took Jamie to spin around and walk without making a sound. I wanted to go away and cry; unseen tears prickled in my eyes.

" Annabeth,' Said Percy," Anabeth, come on. You'll get a cold." He took my hand and led me to the elevator. I leaned agains the side and fet a lurch in my stomach when Percy shot me a funny look of confusion. He was so immature a lot of times. But he was a good friend. Much better then I had been. We divided up into rooms and I sank down on my bed.

" Annaabeth can I come in?" said Percy.

" Get away from me Seaweed Brain,' I said through the door. He ignored me and came in, dodging the pillow I aimed at his head. I sank back on my bed, wrapping my arms around my knees.

" What..is it, Seaweed Brain?" I demanded.

" Nothing. You just seemed upset, Annabeth. I wanted to see what was wrong."

" You were right about Luke," I said in a hollow tone,' You had always been right about him. He really is a traitor. He's not my friend anymore. Kronos twisted his mind and he's not the Luke I know anymore. You always had been right. It took injuring Jamie to talk since into my thick skull. I'm sorry. Είμαι είμαι ηλίθιος ( I'm an idiot)" I added.

" No, you aren't," He said firmly," You...you're πιστός ( loyal). It's Luke's fault that he didn't know that." I was silent for a while. How come he sounded so wise all of the sudden? And now come I was still the same love struck girl I had been for Luke Luke. It seems like I had the most growing up to do.

" Thaks, Seaweed Brain. But Jamie must hate me. I am a child of Athena and I've told you my greatest flaw is pride. I couldn't admit that Jamie is better then me...," Something seemed to settle over my shoulders and I looked out the window. I was sure that Percy would accuse me of being a fraud and being an awful friend. But he was silent.

" I don't getit," He said at last," Why do you hate Jamie so much? I mean..she's really nice. But she's not anything to be jealous of. I just don't get your reasons,"

" I've told you about my fatal flaw right? Good. The thing is...my mother is the Goddess of Wisdom but that doesn't make me any less dumb on human emotions. No matter how many books I read, how many languages that I study, no matter how many times I tell myself that there is nothing to be mad about, I still feel like the dumbest person on earth."

" I don't get it,' He said at last.

' Dont' you?" I mumbled." I'm talking about being a good person. About being a person good enough so that people look up to you. I always felt like I was falling behind on that category. I had never been able to let Luke go and I thought that it was your fault for making him be the bad guy but in my arrogance, I ignored the signs that he wasn't my friend anymore. And as for Jamie...," I faltered and continued,' She's like the alter ego tht I wish that I was...,"

" Jamie may be pretty but I don't get how...,' I cut him off with a sharp shake of my head.

' No, I'm not talking about appearances, Seaweed rain. Since the first day since I'd met her, she seems to be the type of person that nobody can really hate, you now? Like she has no flaws and she's the type of person to be so innocent and when the Gods made that flame around her, I seized that chance to convince myself that she really was somebody who was just as flawed as I was. But she seemed so calm about everything and I hated her even more for it. But there's almost nothing that I can say is wrong about her. Sure, she's stubborn but she...and because she was talking to Luke," I faltered again," I guess that was the final straw. Athena may be the wisest being in the world but...but she's wrong about Jamie. Jamie's good." I sighed." I bet that she hates me."

" Annabeth...in your own way you are all those things that you say Jamie is. You just brush aside all the good things about yourself and focus on your flawas. You've saved my skin a bunch of times and you even defyed your mother to help a friend. You are, in a way, even more wiser then your mother."

' How so?' I demanded. I wished that I could believe everything that he told me.

" Your mother never goes against her natural instincts. You on the other hand, believe there is good in everybody. You give people a chance. Your mother could never do that."

I was silent. I wished that I could believe everything that he had said. Then, I turned around and ave him a quick hug.

" What was that for?" He asked, blushing. I smiled and stood up.

" For helping me know what to do," I said simply.

" Which is...?"

" I have to see Jamie." I said and left.

Jamie was propped up on pillows, though looking thoroughly annoyed. Her arm had been bandaged to the best it could be since she hadn't touched any of the ambrosia and nector sitting by the table. A clean white linen was wrapped tightly around her arm, and I could see just how big the sword had cut. He hair was lank to her back and her face looked almost timeless ad sad. She was staring out the window but looked up when she heard me. A small smile stayed on her face and her fae brightened and she winced.

" Hey, Annabeth. I'm glad that you could come. It's been so boring being here by myself. You'd think that I wsgonna die because of one sword cut. Sit down. Anything that you wnat to talk to me about?" She said all in one breath.

" Uh..." I looked down as I sat down," I...I'm sorry," I whispered.

" For what?" She asked.

" For everything. For what happened this morning in particular," I said.

" Oh, this? It's no big deal. Nothing's going to happen to me. Are you worried about Luke?"

" I hadn't thought about that but..I hope that he's okay. Maybe Kronos will punish him for not finishing one of us off."

" No, he won't," Jamie said." I don't think that Kronos would want to hurt one of his most useful soldiers just yet. It's no big deal, Annabeth."

" I thought that you might hate me," I mouthed out.

" Nah. I don't hate a lot of people. Maybe Zeus but that one is pretty self explanatory. But I am wondering...why do you hate me so much? Does it have something to do with Luke? Cause I don't like hm if that's what you think."

" Well..yes it does have something to do with Luke." I said. I felt like I owed her this much." I thought that you might have some connection wit Luke. I thought that you might have replace me in Luke's eyes. But I guess that I was stupid to think that. You aren't like that.'

" You have nothing to worry about," She said simply.

" I don't get it," I slammed my fist on the table and Jamie winced," Oh, sorry. But I was wondering..why did Luke retreat? I...don't know anything anymore! I don't even know myself!" I crumpled on the floor. After years and years of stress, I had finally had enough bottled up emotion to crack up. Jamie slid off her bed and helped me up. She winced like every movement caused her pain.

" Listen to me!" I found myself freezing at the sound of authority in her voice." Listen. You are Annabeth Chase. You are the smartest person I know but you need some sleep. Go get some sleep and don't worry about anything Annabeth. Thing's will be fine. Maybe someday, Luke will come to his senses."

I nodded and, exhausted, went back to my room for some much need sleep.

* * *

_Jamie P.O.V_

I watched Annabeth leave and sank down on my bed, clutching my arm. I had overheard her conversation with Percy and couldn't bring myself to give hr a piece of my mind. I wasn't Kronos. I had no reason to be mad at her just becasueI felt hurt that she didn't like me. I had no right to do that. But something that she had said bothered me. What if Kronos really did punish Luke because he Had harmed me? What if Kronos was planning on killing him for his huge blunder. Panic squeezed through the small space n my heart that wasn't filled already.

Kronos wouldn't do anything, I thought to myself, he needs Luke. Without Luke, he'd have no hold on Annabeth and Percy and Thalia. No, he wouldn't harm him. But that didn't really reassure was tricky and he would get his revenge on somebody on way or another. It was with that in mind that I fell into an uneased sleep.

* * *

_Third Person P.O.V_

There were a lot of places on earth that would give shivers to a grown man. Enough to shock somebody to death. As it was, there was a small girl crumpled on the floor of a chair, chained to the ground with Celistial Bronze. No, not really a girl More of a girl in between thirteen to fourteen. He auburn hair was hiding her face form view. A figure landed with a heavy thud next to her.

' Get up, Goddess," The bass voice rumbled mockingly. The girl stirred but didn't get up.

" I command you to get up!" The voice rumbled.

" You command me to?" The girl said in a light thrilling voice." You don't command me to do anything, Hyperion. I don't have any loyalties to you." As the girl spoke, she lifted her head up and stared at him defiantly. Her face was suprising calm for a person cornered by a Titan Lord. It was Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt. The Titan of the East stared at her and sighed.

" Such a shame that I'll have to destroy you when the Gods meet their doom. You have a lot of spunk, even for a God."

" Thanks so much for the disgusting compliment," Artemis spat,:" But you are missing a key point here. I won't take Atlas's mountainagain. And this time, you don't have a maiden to take his place for me to rescue. I don't have any thing to do here. Why kidnap me?"

" Where to begin," Hyperion mused," I don't need you, no. And neither does Atlas right now. Lord Kronos has had everything thought out perfectly. You don't have a place in the plan, unfortunately. You are more or less bait for the real victim. A young girl will come to your rescue and we will us her to get Altas off the mountain."

" A Demi God can't handle taking the burden of the sky. Not even a Hunter..."

" No, not one of the Gods children." Hyperion said slowly," And she won't hold it up." There was a pause.

" I do not see how you plan to get Atlas off the mountain then. I fail to see the point of your plan." Artemis said grudgingly.

' A Titan is burdened to hold up the sky but a human can and will end the punishment. The Titans were accused of hating humans and we do and only a human can set the sky back to the sky and stop form crushing down on the earth. But it would need to have a Titan's blood for it to work. The Gods cursed a Titan to hold it against their will and only a human and a Titan working together can put the sky back to normal with a price of blood. Or instead of two people, one would do."

" I still don't get. That would mean a Demi God with Titan Blood but none of you ave been in the human world for thousands of years."

" Yes, a Demi God of a Titan will work and that is what we are banking on. Your Hunter Thalia's friend. She has Titan blood. And her father's is the most noble Titan there is. Yes, she will take the weight of the sky from the shoulders of every Titan." He looked at the Goddess and smirked." Still confused? Well, one Demi God is coming . An unusual one. The only half Human and Half Titan child in existence. I am talking about the only daughter of Kronos. Jamie. And thngs are all going according to plan."

" She will never join your side. Her heart is pure."

" Yes, but she has Kronos's blood. And Lord Kronos's plain has even yet to be revealed. The Gods have helped us in treating her like an outcast. That makes things even easier. You Gods..your mind is o easily bend."

The mountain shook with the force of his laughter. Artemis's only thought was for Thalia to turn back but even as she though ti, she knew it was hopeless. Kronos's plan would be unstoppable. He would raise. With his daughter at his side. And it would be the Gods fault for that. For pushing her to her father's side.

* * *

**...That came out all wrong! I didn't even expect this chapter to go like this. Something just came over me and I wrote this. Oooooh, What is Kronos's plan? As soon as I n=know I will tell you. For now, Please reveiw. Oh, and I added that little Annabeth and Percy scene in there for the lovers of that couple.**

**Review!**


	9. I meet Grover and Tyson part 1

Chapter nine! Thanks to Mindbender10 for reviewing the last chapter! Okay, here is the story instead of my usually babbling.

* * *

Despite Annabeth's protest, we did leave the hotel as soon as I had woken up. Nico didn't seem any less happy about this. Why was everybody acting like I was so weak? I guess it had something to do with me waking up screaming at night.

" Okay," Annabetnh looked at Nico," We'll all regroup in...Maine?" She looke at Nico to see if he could handle that travel.

' Sure," He said, " But I'll need a nap very two journey's or so." I made a sound of disgust in the back of my throat and turned away impatiently.

" How do you feel about this?" Thalia asked.

" How should I feel like? People keep...best if I don't say anything," I said. Thalia gave me a glimmer of a smile.

' Come one, Nico isn't so bad,' She said," He's just...lonely, I guess. His father hates him and well, sad to say his first friend was Percy. Can you image the horror?"

" Hey!" Percy protested. I laughed. Even Percy gave a grudging smile.

" Cheer up," He told me,' Maybe if you are lucky, you'll meat up with some monsters who want to kill you!"

" And how is that good news?" I demanded.

" Well..I thought that you wanted to fight," He said.

" I do but...I'm only borrowing Nico's sword,' I replied, smiling," And I'm not sure how his sword will affect me."

" I'm not sure it will effect you," Nico said." Now are you ready to go or do you want to pout some more?" I scowled and reluctantly took his hand. Not to complain or anything but why was I always the one who ended up doing stuff like this? Nico sighed and took off. Right away the wind around me began to stir and we were going so fast, I swore that my face was gonna peel off. Something strange happened then and then Nico was yelling my name, something about letting go. Before I knew it, I had plummeted back to reality. And reality was black and red and what greeted me as I fell back down was agony.

" Oww...," I groaned and tried to stand up but it wa no good. My arm buckled under me and fell down, useless. Thre was a moment of silence ten:

" Why did you let go?"

" Shut up, Nico! I didn't do it on purpose," I hissed. But I was glad that he was here. I need somebody to tell me if my leg was broken or not. More importantly, I needed somebody to blame. Maybe I should blame him...

Nah, I need him to take me to places. It would suck if he hated me this early.

" Stand up,' He said. I tried but collapsed back down.

' Your kidding!" I siad outloud. Oh no! Why did this have to happen now?

" Mmmm,I think that you may have sprained your ankle," He told me.

" I can see that," I hissed," Now will you help me up before I hit you?"

" I'd like to see you try," He scoffed but helped me up all the same. I tried to stay off my left leg sicne that was the one that throbbed like mad.

" Greatm' I grumbled," Now what the hell are we gonna do?"

: I still need to get us to Maine," He reminded me." And I can't carry you all the way because of your leg...," He was suddenly thoughtful. I hated it when people-especially Demi-Gods looked like that-because it meant something bad was snapped his hands once. At first nothing happened and I opened my mouth to tell him that when the ground began to shake. A fissure appeared on the ground, cracking a diagonal line on the ground and rumbling. A split second later , the biggest hellhound I'd seen yet came bounding out of the hole, growling. I gasped automatically and took a staggering step back. Unfortunately for me, I forgot about my leg sand I nearly collapsed.

" Jamie, this is your ride to Maine," He told me. I gaped at the hellhound again and turned to Nico.

" You have got to be kidding me." I gasped. The hellhound was huge and I do mean huge! It was easily taller then a huge moving truck and twice as long.

" He won't hurt you," Niocsaid rolling his eyes," You'll be fine."

" I'll be sick," I gasped. My stomach rolled around in circles. I could already hear myself screaming. I never really did like heights (Zeus) and never really like dogs a lot either because my aunt had a really nasty dog...not gonna say a lot about that. Nico sighed and crossed his arms. I did the same, wincing. The hellhound looked from Nico to me in confusion. His expression was so shocked ,I almost laughed. The hellhound made a strange noise in the back of its throat, something like a very loud pur. I looked up nervously and reached an arm up to its thick fur. I smiled absently, glad it didn't bit my arm off.

' Now that you know that it won't bit your arm off, would you_please get on the hellhound already_?"

I snorted at his childish behavior and looked up way above me, like way above me.

" Nico, how do you expect me to get on that thing?" I asked, feeling thoroughly annoyed. Nico fought off a twitch.

" Here,let me help you." After that, things got really weird. Nico wound a hand around my waist and lept up. Jumping up fifty feet isn't something that I re command. I turned and buried m head in between his shoulders.

" Jamie"

"Hm?"

" We've landed." He said.

" So?" I said.

" So, let go of me," He said. Embarrassed, I let go of him and took a few steps away from him, nearly falling over from the top of the hellhound's furry head. I regained my footing and ank down on a pile of fur. My ankle throbbe and stung. Clumsy me. Nico was prudent enough not to make fun of me for it.

" The hellhound won't be able to travel for too far of distances," He told me," So, it'll take you to Maine and once there it will go until I need him again."

" Wait," I gasped," You-you summoned him?" He rolled his eyes and lept down, whispering in the hellhound's ear. He went very still and took a huge leap forward, nearly dislodging me from the shoulder blades. We were going so fast, I felt like my face was gonna peel off. In one word, not the best way of travel but not the worst. It was..._different. _

_"_Hey, are you gonna sit there alll day or are you gonna get off?' Nico asked. I glared at him and wished that I hadn't. I was fifty feet up from the ground and highs made me nauseous( thanks, Zeus).

" Excuse me but not everybody ride hellhounds. I can't get down." I admitted. Nico came up, startling me out of my own skin and helped me down. My heart beat wildly when we descended. Falling always made me feel like this. I let go quickly this time, a little too quickly and I nearly fell flat on my face.

" I hate traveling like this," I moaned.

" I can understand how you feel," He told me," The first time I tried that, I threw up."

" I guess that does make me feel a little better..where are we?" I added. I could never deal with silence for a long time. Silence spoke the truth better then words and I was just really uncomfortable near a boy. Even Nico.

" We are in Maine. We are gonna wait for Annabeth and the rest here." My stomach rumbled loudly and I blushed.

"Uh...can we get some food first?" I asked quietly. He felt around in his pocket and sighed.

" Sorry, no money."

" No money over here either." I whined." Then can we at least go wait for them near the water and set up camp or whatever?" I didn't know why I did that but I hated sitting around in one place for too long. It made me feel like monster bait. I'm sure Nico feels like that also but for me it's more terrifying because I've never been trained.

" Fine," He said," But that means that the hellhound goes. He won't be able to go off too far without being detected." Short and simple. If I lived like this for a long time, I was going to go mad. Nico put his hands in his pockets and started to walk away, casually.

" Hy," I yelled," Where the hell are you going?"

" Watch your language," H told me," And I thought that you wanted to go on a walk?" I huffed at being outsmarted and promptly fell over. Dumb ankle. I gingerly poked it. It throbbed and sent tendrils of lava boiling up my leg. I poked it harder and suppressed a loud cry of pain.

" Okay, you really need to stop doing that." Nioc said. He helped me up and eyed me with something close to concern." We really need to get you to a hospital or something."

" N-no," I stammered," I'm sure that it's just a..a scratch or something." It may be weak but that was all I had. I hated getting shots. Or anything to do with needles.

" Jamie," He looked at me seriously," I think that you twisted it." I growled. Only this would happen to me!

" Are you sure that you don't want some ambrosia or nectar?" He asked.

" No, How do those drinks affect Titans?" I asked.

" I don't know. I think that it dissolves them from the inside out." I shuddered.

" There you go then." I said.

" Nico sighed, ruffling his hair. He looked so cute when he did that. I stopped walking.

" What is it?" He asked irritated.

" Oh, n-nothing," I stammered and continued to hobble along. I did _not_just think that. I mean, Nico was..decent but..I shook my head. No, never. Hades would maim me. If he that could dig me out of the ditch my Father was gonna put me in first of all, of course. Nico warped his arm around my waist to support me.

" Wh-what the...?" I choked out. My nerves were fried today.

" Get over to that park bench," He told me," And rest your foot. We'll wait for them there." I wanted to protest but I was just too tired. I slumped down on the seat and Nico sat down on the mossy ground. An elder woman, maybe twenty something stopped by us. I had no idea how bad we looked. But she smiled. Her head was wrapped up in a silky head wrapand her face was smooth though she till looked a little like a glamorous grandmother.( Any guesses who it is?)

" Oh, you poor kids. HERE," she dropped a MacDonald's bag o my lap, still warm, still steamy. My stomach rumbled loudly with hunger.

" Thank you miss...," I said but she just waved it off.

" It's the least I could do." She paused, suddenly eying Nico." Say, deary, are you two dating?" I nearly inhaled a fry and choked.

" What?" I said, eyes watery." No-no. We are just...just friends. That's all," I said with empathises.

" Oh?" The lady said." But you two look so glamorous together. Here, sweetie, get yourselves something warm." She dropped a couple bills on my lap . She smiled at me and let. My gaze followed her to the edge of the street. I wasn't sure but it looked like she had disappeared in_ snakes_? What? But nothing made since in Greek Mythology anyway. I opened the bag and took out a couple of bags. I handed one to Nico and ate my burger so fast, I nearly inhaled half of it up my nose. I paused to swallow.

" What's wrong, Nico?" I asked, curiously.

" Jamie..do you know who that woman is?" My shoulders rose and fell." That was..Medusa." He informed me. My chewing slowed and I was suddenly defensive.

" So?" I asked.

" So..," He was interrupted by a loud shrill giggle. A girl, a couple inches shorter then me, was looking a Nico and giggling flirtatiously. She had obviously been running because she was wearing a short sweatpants and the smallest tank top I had ever seen, not even covering her midriff. For some reason, I got protective.

" Oh, is there something wrong with your throat?" I asked. She narrowed her eyes ant me and swung her sheet of hair around gracefully.

" I don't believe I was talking to you, you slut." She said lightly. She had snapped a nerve. I hated it when people called me that. And my nerves were already fried from all the danger. This girl had snapped the lat nerve. I got to my feet, pain lashing through my ankle.

" Look who's talking," I snapped.

" Good comeback..if you were in kindergarten that is." She raised her eyebrows at me and turned sweetly back to Nico. I'm not sure sure what happened next bu suddenly she had fallen down. I didn't know how that happened but I was glad it did. She slumped on the ground.

" You pushed me," She yelled.

" No." I said,' In case you haven't noticed, I can't move." I gestured to my ankle. She stormed off. I smiled and st back down.

" What was that?" Nico asked. Suddenly, I was uncomfortable.

" Um...I don't know." I lied lightly, picking at my Burger. Nico stared intently at me for a while then sighed.

" I'm probablynever gonna get a straight answer from you so I'm gonna save my breath. Medusa, why did she give us this food? Aren't you even care?"

" In order, so? And no."

" Why didn't she try to kill me?" He mused." Unless...unless she made a truce with Kronos."

" Let's not go there." I said panicky. Suddenly, my appetite was demolished. If monsters were suddenly gonna be nice to me because of my father then..that would be the weirdest thing ever. More to give myself more time then anything, I opened the bag and again. A note fell out. Curious, I picked it up. :

**Jamie,**

**I have two surprises ready to find you. It's time for them to find you now.**

There wasn't a signature but I could tell who it was from.I fiddled with the box and lifted out something else. Now, I was freaked out. In the bottom was another box. I opened it. I twas just another box.

" What?" I said." Is hat a..."

'ENCHILADA!" Something furry tackled me, grabbing the box from my hand. My head hit the ground and I nearly blacked out. Something else jumped over me.

" Sorry, pretty lady." It said in a deep but gentle voice. I got up slowly. A satyr and a cyclops?

" Grover? Tyson?" Nico said. Now things were really confusing. Was this who Percy kept talking about. I approached Grover. Then I punched him hard on he jaw.

" You idiot! Why'd you tackle me for a stupid enchilada?"

* * *

_Aphrodite P.O.V_

Sitting around was just sooo boring. The other gods were talking but didn't seem all that into it. Even Hestia was here, keeping the hearth going. The screen turned white then hot pink. I sat up, curiosity peaking up. It was what was more, she seemed to be defending Nico from some other girl. Oh, that was soo cute!

" Wait a moment!" Zeus rumbled." What was that?" The scene played agin in slow-mo. Now, I could see something. There was a few seconds paused up from the firm and then the slightest shove from Jamie before time restarted." Great, now she's found her power." He sounded so sullen.

" And what was with Medusa.I thought that she was dead.' Ares said. Bless him, he was cute, but he wasn't very bright.

" She reformed." Athena said withe exaggerated patience." What I want to know is..how will ambrosia effect her?" She looked a Zeus.

" It wasn't meant for Titans. For Titans, it will only make them feel a Little drained for a while. For a half Titan, it will disintegrate them." Zeus nodded.

" Do we all agree that she must be taken care of because of the threat she poses?" Athena said. Mostly agreement. I noticed that Demeter didn't look very happy about that. She was eying Nico on the screen with worry. Hestia didn't seem to like it very much either. I knew that I sure didn't.

" Then, we need her to consume some Ambrosia," Athena concluded," We would not directly interfere. I don't like it but..it must be done."

" Agreed," Zeus said. I rolled my eyes and examined my nails Demeter leaned in towards me.

" Is it really necessary? Look at how happy Nico is. My grandson is finally happy. Even though I'd prefer him working oer a plow, this may be his only shot at happiness. Can't you something, Aphrodite?"

" I'll do everything I can." I replied.

* * *

Yayy! Another chapter done!I'll try to update one more time before Halloween or maybe I won't have time. I'll try anyway.

So Grover and Tyson are finally in the story. It only took nine chapters. Also, about Medusa..I really couldn't leave her dead. She'll play an important part in the story. About ambrosia effecting Titans, I really have no idea. But if it heals Gods, I just put down the opposite effect on Titans.

Review?

Oh, and hope you have a good fall break.


	10. I meet Grover and Tyson part 2

Chapter up! I thank whoever is reading this fanfiction piece. It's muchly appreciated.

Okay, on with the story.

* * *

"Ow, that hurt!" Grover moaned, clutching his head," And I thought that acorns hurt!"Unluckily for me, I had hit his horns and I clutched my hand in agony. Never try hitting goat horns, it stinks a lot.

" What are you guys doing here?" Nico asked. Tyson looked at me, his one wide calf brown eye wide with excitement.

" Who's the pretty lady?" He asked almost childlike.

" Yeah, who is she? I haven't seen her before," Grover said.

" I'm Jamie Stone," I said, "I was only recently at camp. For a good week before I went on this quest. And I take it that you only found us by accident?"

"Ah, no," Grover said, "Me and Tyson were looking for more allies and we heard that the old gods and Titans are awakening. We followed this weird mix to scent and found you guys. Whatever it was, it was nothing less then a Tiatn. Did you guys see anybody come this way?" Now I was starting to worry. What if they found me out?

" No,"I replied," Except for this one little slut-"

" Language,' Grove warned but I ignored him.

"-who passed us a moment ago. I don't think that it was her," I added, "She looks too dumb to even know how to stand a mirror up the right way."

" Actually, she seemed okay." Nico said, much to my annoyance," Why do you hat her so much, Jamie?"

"I don't hate her," I sniffed," I just think that she is a few bulbs short of a light bulb. That's all."

" Is she always like this?" Grover asked. I flashed him a quick smile.

" Only on Tuesday's,' I replied.

" But I thought that it was Friday," Grover said, frowning.

"Ah! You know what I mean." I said and stamped my foot. Unfortunately, it was my bad foot and I nearly fell over. It was starting to throb around the edges now. I was never gonna let Nico put me on another Hellhound ever again. Once was enough to give me nightmares. If I rode a second time, I was afraid of what I might break.

" So how did you guys come here?" Grover asked. Tyson touched my auburn hair curiously. Then, he let go and started to ask me questions about Percy. It was kind of annoying.

" Why don't we wait until Percy and the rest come along,' Nico said quietly.

" That would be a good idea," Tyson said," Can't wait to see big brother again." He and Grover fell asleep right there on the floor. I turned to Nico, panic weighing suddenly on my chest.

" Do..do you think that they can sense Titans?" I asked.

" Grover is a satyr so I think so. Cyclopes are...yeah, yeah they can."

" Oh..then, I'm screwed," I mumbled. Nico shot me a funny look.

" They won't dig too deep. Titans magic is too high for them. They can't pinpoint location," He said flatly.

" Yeah, but what about those old Gods that you said were waking up? Does it have something to do with me?" I asked. I couldn't be the cause of all of this. I'd only for three days or so. None of this should be happening. Why not to somebody who was actually ready?

"I don't think that it has a lot to do with you, Jamie. I think that they are waking up because of the shift of power. Kronos is stirring and they might know that. They might want to help their lord in this war again. The shift of ower woke them up but to actually be free is another thing."

" Thanks, I said dryly, That helped calm me down a lot." The McDonald's bag cackled under my fist, making a popping sound. I took out a coke and began to drink. The ice was mostly melted but it was ice cold and I was grateful for the ie cold drink.

" How long until Percy and the rest get here?" I asked after a while.

"I really don't know. They should have been here by now. From New York to Maine isn't a long distance if you are the son of the sea god."

" Ok-ay," I said and handed him the other coke. He shoved it back and I forced it into his hand. He glared at me but took a sip. I was starting to thin that he may just be a human after all.

" Did you actually hate that girl or was it just an impulse?" He asked.

Now, I hated him. I turned away and didn't answer him.I could feel myself blushing. Why had I reacted so violently? It was only a little bit of flirting.

" No comment," I replied.

" Jamie, it's a simple question, you know that." Nico said.

"Yeah-hey, look, they're here." Thank goodness for them. Percy dismounted , looking almost regretful at having to leave his doman. Annabeth was looking a little green, though. Thalia swayed a little and Clarisse racked her knuckles together menacingly.

"Grover!" Percy said. Grover woke up and tackled Percy into a tight goat hug. Then, Tyson crushed Percy into a hug hug. I swore that I ehard bones cracking. My lips twitched aroun the eges.

" Okay, okay. Calm down. Start form the beginning. What happened?"

* * *

A few minutes later, we were sitting down on the bench, picking food out of the bag Medusa had given me. Only me nd Nico knew that and he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut. I was still prepared to elbow him if he opened his mouth though.

Grover nibbled on some tin cans before he opened his mouth to speak.

"Okay, so me and Tyson were sent away from camp to find new Half-Bloods for the army. ut there's almost no scent of any Half Blood smell in the ocuntry. That either means that they are all with Luke or The Gods really stink at giving their children their scents so I can smell them out. We ended up in San Fransisco and we smelled a few things there. But..they weren't Half Bloods."

I nearly choked on my fries.

" What-did you see?' I sputtered.

"Well..we spotted a few giants and we followed them to see what they were talking about...and they had this entrance way that they went through. I couldn't see anything because we were stuffed in trash bags. Don't try that by the way, it stinks, literally. Anyway, the only thing I could hear was them talking. They were talking about a camper that Kronos needed for his rise."

" Was it me?' Percy asked coldly. For some odd reason , my skin crawled.

"No, I don't think so ..unless you're a girl." Grover said. Annabeth roared with laughter and Percy scowled. But something caught my attention.

" Wait," Thalia said," You said girl. Which girl?""

Shh," Annabeth shushed her.

Grover swallowed a tin can and said," They were complaining about how hard it was to catch this girl because she was always hanging arond' the brat of the sea' and ' prince of the damned'," He made air quotations when he said that, rolling his eyes. I saw Nico frown slightly and Percy rolled his eyes. "They said it would be much easier to just kill her. Then one of them said that Lord Kronos would fry them alive if they so much as raised a hand against her. Something about a power that could dethrone even the Gods if she stood at Lord Kronos's side-are you alright, Jamie, you look kind of pale?" Grover said suddenly.

"Yeah, I'm fine, "I replied.' I'm just worried. What would happen if Kronos rose up from Tartarus and found this girl? What then?" I shivered with actual fear. Kronos was looking for me, he was gonna ind me. And somehow, someday, h was gonna get me on his side. Nico seemed to notice it at the same time I did and his mouth thinned out. My heartbeat increased rapidly and I swore that I could hear it clearly even without putting a hand over my heart.

Wait...I wasn't imagining anything. I could hear footsteps.

"Guys, guys..guys,' My voice was full of sheer panic, I think that something followed us. They looked at me like I was an idiot.

" Are you sure that you didn't imagine-?' I shook my head vigiourously before Percy could finish his question.

"Why are you guys just sitting htere?' I asked, in full hysteria, There is something-something big-coming our way. And you're just sitting there?

" The thing is Jamie..I don't smell anything," Grover said.

"I don't hear anything," Tyson added helpfully.

" And I didn't see anybody here when we sailed here, remember?" Percy as though it was the last matter.

"Don't remind me," Annabeth said snappily to Percy.

"So you think that I'm making this up?" I demanded. I felt another shift in the ground, another deep rumble, another step. Something big was on its way here and these guys wanted to sit down and talk when we were about to be mince-meat?

"Can you control your temper? You're giving me aa migraine and I'm not even suppose to get those. I don't even get it around Percy and Annabeth,' Grover told me. Percy looked annoyed and Annabeth looked a little proud that she hadn't been the reason of his migraine.

" So..basicly, not one of you believe me?" I said quietly through my teeth. Tempers tended to flare when ever I was . I just didn't like it when people annoyed the very rare smart things that I did. When I did somethign smart, it turned out right. So why I was so mad must be obvious.

"Maybe you're tired," Thalia suggested, perfectly at ease, "You're a new camper, went on a quest that is still to advanced for people like Annabeth, Percy and Nico, got chased by Kronos's army, ha all the Gods made at you, gotten no sleep, sprained you ankle, walked about four miles and hasn't aten in very long. Oh, Let's not forget about that lovely scar that Luke gave you on your shoulder". She added after an afterthought.

" Why doesn't she just use ambrosia and nector?' Grover asked. Thalia snorted, throwing back her head.

' If we could have, we'd have already healed that shoulder. Thalia said. Jamie doesn't want us to.

" Because I don't need it.' I argued. I could tell that they thought that it was a lame excuse. It wasn't the truth after all. But if I told the truth, I would be dead faster then I could say innocent. I sighed and crossed my hands.

"You must be thinking up things," Clarisse growled. She was sharping up her knifes. She seemed oblivious to the look that I was giving her. If only looks could kill...

That reminded me of Medusa and that was not a good thing. I shivered inwardly before I picked up on the previous argument.

' Guys, there is something out there." I argued,' I am not making this up!" Thalia laughed.

"Okay, I'll humor you," She said, still laughing, "I'll go slay this imaginary monster. "When she stood up, she left her bow and arrows and her bracelet was hitched high on her arm. Still laughing she began to walk into the mist. Within a small period of time, she was swallowed up by the rolling mist.

' Come back alive, thunder head." Percy yelled.

"Don't call me that. Call me Queen," Thalia said, laughing," And I'll call you seaweed brain. And you may call me madam. And I'l call you-," Her voice cut off abruptly and Thalia walked away without answering. But I felt my breath quicken, my adrenaline ride up. Something was wrong.

"And what will you call me?" Percy yelled. He shook his head when she didn't answer. "Geez, woman.' He mumbled. Annabeth socked him in the arm. But I saw from a distant tunnel. My breath came out in small pants. A faint ringing sound echoed in my ear. It sounded like wedding bells. It increased and suddenly, it didn't sound so musical anymore. It sounded like a funeral pyre. I blacked out and nearly fell. I swallowed back bile and rose to my feet. My fear was so great it nearly knocked me off my feet.

" Jamie, where are you going?" Annabeth asked. But I didn't hear. I was running, running without any idea of where I was going. But that didn't matter right now.

" Thalia! Thalia? Thalia?" I yelled, hysterical. The others seemed alarmed by my tone. Near hysterical, raw sheer panic.

"Thalia's fine..," Annabeth began.

"Thalia! She's ..she's..., ."But I never got to finish. And the world stopped spinning in that next second. Nothing seemed real just then. I suspended in midair, feeling my connection with earth slipping. And the one sound I feared came back, sounding a thousand times louder then it was suppose to be.

The peace ws shattered by Thalia's pertified screams.

* * *

The black vortex rolled and stretched, like an endless layer of blue and grey and white. The auburn hair of a young teenager was visible under the heavy burden of clouds. Golden seat gleamed on her arms and face, her legs trembling so violently, it was a wonder she didn't pass out. With a brave grimace, she hitched up the vortex and placed it on her neck. How embarrassing. To be caught again. No..this time they would pay.

" Hanging on there, Goddess?' The bass voice rumbled behind her and there was a flash of blinding hot white heat. Hyperion strolled into her eye sight, in full battle gear, crossing his hands.

" You...,' Artemis couldn't find a strong enough word to throw at him. She settled for glaring at him.

" Haven't you suffered enough yet? I know you can summon your hunter with you. If you do, she would suffer less pain, I tell you this.' Hyperion said, his voice soft and demanding.

"I will not work for the likes of you. I most openly despise my father. I will not aid his rise. Thalia is strong. It'll take more then you slime of men to break her, "Artemis spat. Hyperion's face was inches from her. She could feel the heat from him warm up her aching bones and warm up her face. Nevertheless, she glared at him. His golden eyes were as hard as rocks.

"Don't you understand? "He said slowly. It matters not whether or not you agree or not. Your Hunter should have heed the words of Kronos's daughter. She walked into this one all by herself.

" What did you do to her?' Aremis hissed.

"That is none of your concern at the moment. Once Olympus falls, then you will no longer have to hold it for eternity. That buffoon Zeus will do. He loves his realm so much, let's see how good the sky treats him.' Hyperion said absently, still softly."He isn't as strong as he claims. That is why he would not kill Jackson. He shifted his eyes to Artemis. You would do well to listen to the demands. The Titan Lord Kronos is rising. You Gods are all doomed. All hope is gone. What do you say now, Artemis?"

Artemis was silent for a while. Sweat fell around her face. Her hair hung limply around her shoulders. The weight of the sky could crush your insides out. It could suck away all of your hope.

' Hyperion? Bent over and go back to Tartarus." She said.

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, here are some excuses for not being able to update as fast as my other ones.

1) School. I really hate middle school, you know? And my teachers have been piling up a lot of homework on us so I barely had time to get on the computer. Then, my computer crashed and deleted most of my work for this chapter so I had to start from scratch. Sorry if it's not as long as my other ones.

I had other stories to work on. Oh, and for all of you vampire lovers, I'm working on a new story called **Now and For Eternity**. I suggest that you check it out.

I'll update as fast as soon as I can.

_ Tenshi.

Review this ChapterReport Possible AbuseAdd Story to FavoritesAdd Story to Story AlertAdd Author to FavoritesAdd Author to Author AlertAdd Story to Community 1. The beginning of a new life2. I met Nico Di Angelo3. annabeth's theory and Capture the flag4. The quest and the discovery5. The claim and the new fight6. Nico's confession and McDonald's7. random fights and broken noses8. annabeth's truth and Kronos's plan9. I meet Grover and Tyson part 110. I meet Grover and Tyson part 211. The Maiden Vs The Dragon Part I12. The Maiden Vs The Dragon Part II13. Aphrodite and My Dark Secret14. Alone time and Chiron's Advice 


	11. The Maiden Vs The Dragon Part I

It's been a while since I have updated, hasn't it? Well, here's the new chapter. Some review would be great. Just in time for the holidays!

Warning: Fight scene ahead!

* * *

I stared blankly up at the oily sky, beautiful and pure, untainted by any of my ill feelings. I hated it. I stared down at my palms, bruised by the may times I had hit the wood in my anger. They were beginning to throb now. But I barely felt them. I didn't want to feel anything right now..I wanted to die. Thalia was gone. And it was all my fault. I lowered my eyes demurely at the small camp fire, flickering lowly, low on ember. The others were staring out at the flames, clearly thinking that it was as much of their fault as it was mine. Annabeth wiped her mouth every now and then. It took me a while to realize that I was crying.

" Hey," Annabeth said, a little coldly,' Are you okay?" I didn't answer; I watched her gaze back to Percy. Her eyes softened when it landed on him.

" Fine," Percy said gruffly," Just-I'd really hate to tell Zeus that we lost his daughter, don't you think?"

" _We _didn't lose her," Annabeth assured him,' It wasn't _our_ fault. He knows it. But it is _somebody_'s." I didn't need to look up to know that she was talking about me. But I was too miserable to care If only I had been a little fast enough...could I have saved her? I sighed quietly and rumpled my already messy hair.

When Percy spoke next, I could hear a slight frown in his tone." Annabeth, it's not her fault. She did try to warn us. remember? And we wouldn't listen to her?" There was silence. The thing is, Percy's words at my defense didn't make me feel any better. It made me feel rotten. Words wouldn't get Thalia back. Nothing would. Maybe she was already dead. I shuddered at which directions my thoughts were going. Okay, so maybe it was my fault. It wasn't like I was going to admit it, especially not that Annabeth had been right about me from the beginning. The bench rustled next to me. Nico's dark hair was shadowed by the night but his eyes glowed as they fixed on me.

" Hey, are you okay?" He asked." You seem kind of out of it lately."

" Oh, you've just noticed?" I asked sarcastically, a little harshly. I almost bit my tongue when Nico turned away. Me and my dumb mouth." Hey, wait! I'm sorry," I sighed, burying my face in my hands. I closed my eyes slowly and opened them again Nothing had changed. The sky was still a curved crescent. The stars were still glistening like little diamonds in the sky. And Nico's eyes were closed, like he was died. I hoped that he was brathing." The damned son of Hades could've told me what he wanted," I muttered, more to myself then anything.

" The damned son of Hades can hear you," Nico said quietly' Though, since you were in such a bad mood, I thought I could get a few moments of quiet. Guess that was too much to ask." He sighed and sat up. I could see his silhouette slightly against the moonbeams. His true personality seemed to be leaking out. He was nice-ish but he was always so careful and guarded. After the excitement of finding out who my father was, he seemed less and less concerned with being conversational. But he was, at least, not blaming me.

Foolishly, needing assurance, I asked softly," Are you sure that you didn't see Thalia?" There was a note of hysteria still left over in my tone. I hoped it wasn't too obvious. If Nico noticed it, he didn't comment on it.

" I told you, Jamie, I ran from New York and had a couple of Hellhounds run to New Jersey and Maine and Vermont. Thalia's scent is no where there. It's as if she just vanished from the surface of the earth." I sagged against the wooden tree I was leaning on. I tried not to get my hopes up. I had known from the beginning that it would be nearly impossible to find Thalia but still...

" It's fine," I said gruffly," Fine. I just wanted-wanted to know."

Nico was quiet for a while and then he said," It wasn't your fault, Jamie." There was a loud indignant scoff at that. I barely turned around to say," Annabeth? Get a life and get out of mine." Annabeth gave me a look and stormed off, almost foolish because she had no idea where she was. Percy got up to follow her. Tyson and Grover had gone to talk to some dryads and nymphs. Clarisse was asleep so it was only me and Nico. That thought shocked me out of my trance in time to be properly shocked.

"And it was my fault," I said," If only I had listened to Annabeth and stayed at camp, I wouldn't be along to mess up the mission."

" What makes you think that you ruined the mission?" Nico asked and he looked me in the eye. I looked away nervously. When I spoke, I made sure that my voice was low.

" You know..my father..," I shook my head helplessly,putting my head in my hands. My vision blurred and I yawned. Suddenly tired, I layed back down on the matting below me and was out in -God dreams suck. The more dangerous your situation,the more vivid dreams we get.

* * *

Now, I was looking at Luke,intently staring at the map in his hands. Two _dracaenae _and an _Empousa _demon guarded the doors while Luke stared at the map. Was it just the trick of the light or was he paler then usual? His skin looked clammy and his cheekbones stuck out more then usual. His eyes were half crazed.

" So you actually took a swim in the river Styx," Ethan said from the corner. In the corner was a golden coffin with engravements of painful deaths and torturements..you know,stuff that makes you feel all fuzzy inside. Luke looked up,distracted.

" Yeah..yeah," Luke said finally," And the whole process should be over in two days or so. Maybe before so depending on my condition."He looked at the coffin nervously. I realized with a sickening lurch in my heart that that must be Kronos. I felt like my insides had been cremated. Suddenly,the room seemed icy cold. The Empousa demon tilted her head up slightly,her hair erupting in fresh tendrils of fire.

" Do you smell that?" She purred and without waiting for an answer,hissed,' One and a half Kronos's are in this room." It was almost funny to hear a demon seem so comfused. I backed up agaisnt the door,knowing that it wouldn't do any good. Luke looked up,spinning around in a motion so fast, I got dizzy just looking at him.

" Jamie?" He asked without hesitation." Are you there? Good,then listen carefully: Your friend, Thalia is no far from where you are now and the only thing guarding her is the Minotaur. If you can kill that thing, and you yourself,then you can have Thalia back. But if you wait for your friends or you tell them about this,then we will take her personally. Are we clear?" He turned around suddenly,looking at the map." Tell her hi from me."

* * *

I woke up with a start. I felt clammy with sweat and I sat up as quickly as I could. Almost as a reflex, I looked around to make sure that everybody was asleep. They were,even Annabeth and Percy. I grabbed for a weapon, Nico's Stygian iron sword. I hoped that he wouldn't mess it. I got up and grabbed a jacket,just to make sure that my shirt wasn't torn to ribbons at my battle. Walking to my death didn't seem like a good plan but I had to get Thalia back or else Zeus would have my head. Worse, I would be just like my father. I took off towards the North,opposite of where we were when Thalia had vanished. We where near the shores and staying in a small park. Where I was going was the grassy part with broken tree branches and overgrown moss and wildflowers. Stuff that really helped me calm down,you know. I could tell that I was getting close because of the smell that evaded my sense of smell. With a slight," Ugh." I continued on,only this time holding the sleeve of my jacket to my mouth. I saw the Minotaur when I turned around a particularly thick Japanese Oak tree.

"Mfffffffffffff!" Thalia was the first thing that I saw. She was tied up against the tree farthest away from me. There was a gag in her mouth and chains made of Celestial bronze tied around her legs and arm. And in front of her was a three headed dragon,looking like a Hydra with those heads. But I knew for a fact that it was a dragon because whenever it snored,little flames of fire shot out of its three snots. I guess that it was a pretty dragon with scales that shone like molten lava and a thick,almost serpent-like head. The heads landed in a spaghetti pile in front of the body. The body itself was fifty feet long, counting the powerful tail. Luke had told me that it was a Minotaur!_!_

I was going to kill Luke the next time I saw him. I slowly held up my sword and prepared to jump his tail to grab Thalia and make a break for it. I drew in a slight greath and that was what woke up the dragon. He stood up,glaring at me with six eyes. I had heard about dragon fighting classes at camp but it couldn't prepare me for what I saw now. It was a hundred foot long serpent as thick as a monster truck with scales harder then anything I'd ever heard of. It's hard yellow eyes could paralyze you while it went for the kill. It hissed at me and little flames of fire shot out of the nostrils,singing the air in front of me.

I lept out of the way at the last moment,diving to the ground and keeping my grip on the sword. I coughed and lept up,the sword gripped tightly in my hands. I warily began to go in for a tackle. The dragon was smart though and snorted into thh air next to me. The mist was green and slow moving but I could tell that it was poisonous. It had nothing to do with the fact that the leaves turned brown and black where it past. It gave a loud ground rumbling roar and made the single most sharpest yell ever. I had to keep grip on the sword to keep myself from putting my hands to my ear to block out the cry. Thalia struggled against her bonds desperately. The head in the middle roared out a billow of fire. The third head let out the poison in the air. The first head roared again, a high pitched keening sound.

I doged the wave of fire warily, rolling down again and kicking up a cloud of dust. The mist,though, I couldn't deflect. I backed up rapidly until I was backed up against the tree behind me. I hid behind it and watched as the bare branchest withered and blackened, falling down in clumps and molds of dirt. The high pitched keening sound,though, I couldn't do anything against. How do you fight a dragon? Maybe if I could just land a mark...

Heavy thudding interrupted my probing. The dragon roared again,dangerously close to where I was. I lept out of the way just as a giant clawed foot came down on the remains of the tree, crushing it against sharp talons like dough. The hard talons scraped off my skin, peeling of the first layer of skin on my arm. The smell of blood sickened me. It through back its head and roared again. I bite my lip as hard as I could. Sweat glistened off my skin and I had a sudden reckless thought. The dragon was distracted now..maybe I could just kind of..get in a mark.

I lunged forward on that intent. I must have looked pretty dumb that dragon and it turned its great yellow eyes to me. I swung the sword with all my might, and it swung in an elegant arch towards the dragons back. It made contact with the hard scales on the dragon's back and it ricocheted off, sending a shuttering feeling coursing through my body. I shuddered and nearly dropped the sword in shock. The vibration nearly dislocated my shoulder. The thing was too well protected. How on earth was I going to distract him well enough to get to Thalia?

Worse, I think that I had just made it enraged!

Thalia! I had to get her free first of all. I shifted to the side and feinted to the left, aiming for the right. I went sailing through the ground towards her, coughing and sputtering when I landed. I undid her gag with trembling fingers. Thalia's eyes were wide and her hair was even more wild then ever.

" Jamie! Watch out!" She screamed. I turned around, drawing out my sword. The head of the dragon rammed against the sword with so much momentum, I felt my heel drag into the dirt. But I didn't have enough leverage to fend him off. I went sailing back and hit the ground with a hard thud. My head made contact with something heavy and stars danced in front of my eyes. My own blood soaked through the cotton fabric of my jacket, and the sight of that made my head ache.

" Thalia, what do I do?" I demanded.

" Aim for the eyes!" She yelled back. The eyes..but that thing had six eyes that I had to take care though I wanted nothing more then to lay down and collapse, I forced myself up on my knees then my arms then my feet until I was standing up. The mouth of the second head opened and I cold read the murderous intent in his eyes. I could see the flames before I felt it. And then, I did feel it. It was a dry scorching heat and it groaned like a million quaking volcanoes. I dropped at the last moment but it still hit. I could fell it on my back.

I bit my lip and rolled to extinguish the flames. The same head wheeled forward, serpent-like and it was fast as lightening. Through my dizzying eyes, I saw it coming from a distant tunnel.

" Jamie!" Even Thalia's scream was distant. But it spurred me into moving at the last moment. I reached a hand off blindly and held on to the first object that I could grab. The dragon roared its displeasure and,when I opened my eyes, I could see why. I had grabbed on to its horns. I had to admit,even in my foggy mind, that they were very ghoulish. Translucent white and curved slightly like cat's canines, and oddly distorted in my vision. I was dangling right over the dragon's eyes, holding on to the second head. I dangled uselessly until I got my legs up to feel the scaly bump just above the nostrils. No longer dangling helplessly, I scrambled on top of his head. he other two heads roared but couldn't get high enough to get me. I didn't dare look down in fear that I would get nauseous.

God, I hate heights.

" Aim for the eyes!" Thalia said faintly from the ground. The dragon swerved around, nearly knocking me down. It knocked me down but I grabbed hold at the last moment. It arched up and scaly wings flapped from the side. Metallic red and sharp and roughly fifteen feet each. The veins underneath pulsed slowly. With a roar that sent chills down my back, it circled once, twice, and took off towards the sky.

" Whhoooooooohhhh!" I yelled out in shock. My stomach rolled up in a ball. I slid down the length of the dragon, grabbing hold of the third spike down its back. The other two had made good sized bruises on my arm. I groaned and tried to go up again. he dragon was smarter then that. It made a sharp U-turn in mid-air, nearly causing me to fall again. It hung in mid-air upside down. I slid down its length and grabbed on to the spiked tail as a relex. The scales cut into my arm but I held on, fifty feet above the ground. I shut my eyes quickly and looked up, reaching out a blind hand to grab another spike..then another...then another...

I grabbed onto the girst spike marching up the back. Only then did I exhale in relief. I stood shakily, more or less, on my hands and knees. I slowly began to stand up, wobbling unsteadily on my legs. If the dragon writhed again, I would fall down to my doom. The wind whipped around me, making my hair a wild flame. The dragon roared and that sound made my head snap up. It sucked in a deep breath and launched out another great fire. Only this time, it caught on the timbers of the trees, and it lit ablaze. Tons of nymphs and dryads cried out as their trees blistered down. A branch from a particularly thick oak tree broke down, crushing a dryad underneath it. Thalia struggled helplessly, coughing in the great cloud of fire.

I felt so helpless. What do I do? What do I do? What _could_ I do? The thought came to me almost at once.

_Kill the dragon. Take out all six of its eyes._

I moved unsteadily over its back but it seemed to have forgotten about me already and that got me a little mad. It was too busy making a giant forest fire. And my friends were only a mile or so away. It keened again and I wobbled unsteadily.

" Jamie!" Thalia yelled. I sucked in a deep breath and began to walk again. Zeus must hate me right about now, I thought wildly, I am up in his domain and was walking on a flying creature. I made it to his neck before things turned high risked. The thrid head turned towards me and it did a twist. It unbuckled me and nearly caused me to fall. I closed my eyes. But I didn't fall. I opened them again. The dragon wa twisting over in slow motion, almost like time was freezing. Of course, that was Kronos's power. Thank the Gods. No..thank the Titans. I grimaced at my bad attempt of a joke. I grabbed hold of the spikes just as the dragon finished its roll.

The sword slipped from my arm and I barely caught it with my feet. I hung on and tried to pull myself up. I ended up clawing at the scales and grabbing hold of the spikes to pull myself up.

" I am never doing that again,' I muttered to myself. I shook my head and slowly began towards the eyes. I held on to the horns and positioned myself so that I dangled right above his eyes, just out of reach. I held the sword tightly in my hands. But at the lst moment, I hesitated...

I didn't like animals in particular but I didn't want to kill one. _If I don't,_ I argued back, _then it's going to kill me._

But I had waited too long. One of the heads spotted me and roared its displeasure.

Stab it! I yelled at myself. My hand came down hard and swift and it landed right on target. Right in the second head's right eye. I hit it with so much energy, the body writhed and after shakes coursed up my arm. I shuddered at the unpleasant feeling. Blood gushed out of the wound, the blood vessels popped. The glowing yellow eyes on that head dimmed slightly. It screeched loudly, so loudly, I gritted my teeth as it was set on edge. But I had to get its other eye. One of the other heads whipped around and roared at me. I dodged out of the way but fell against the sharpness of the spikes. I fell down, feeling the wound on my shoulder open up.

" HZZZZZZZZZZZZ!" It hissed.

I jabbed it in its other eye and the great yellow eyes dimmed down. The second head began to decompose slowly, melting like chese. I started at the head, black ooze beginning to eat away at its flesh and with its eyes too. It crept down slowly towards it nose and mouth, a lethal poison even to dragons. I backed up so that the foul liquiod din't touch me. It opened its mouth in a hiss and the ooze at away at its horns, reducing the beautiful white to a gooey substance. I watched this until finally..slowly, the head disappeared all together. In its place was a huge black crater in the middle of the huge dragon. The crater oozed with a slimy black substance.

The two other heads hissed venomously at me. It twisted around dangerously like a striking snake. It jerked to the side as I struggled to hold on. But it was no use, all of my effort. I slid and was hanging on by only one hand.

" Jamie!" Thalia screamed. But it wasn't only Thalia down there anymore. Annabeth was there too. Percy and Nico and even Clarisse. The last three began to approach towards the dragon, Nico glaring at the sword in my hands. I made a face at him.

" No!" I screamed at them." Stay back! I have to kill this thing or else they will take away Thalia again!" The glared at me but didn't move. Annabeth looked at.

" I'll keep them lined up,' She said loudly," You just finish that dragon off." She untied Annabeth and forced the others to go. Nico gave me a look before he left. Like one of those half puzzled looks. I looked at his sword in my hands and mouthed out an apology. They began to help put out the fire. But there wasn't a lot of things that they could do. he beat at it with their clothes and Percy let loose some small waves but it was no good. The dragon kept breathing out even more to combat Percy. And if I failed,then all of them were doomed.

I struggled to keep my grasp on the dragon as I tried to pull myself up. It was no use. I lacked the muscle needed to pull myself up smoothly. But I could still take out they eye on my side, couldn't I? It was a reckless, almost Percy-reckless, thing to do but it might work. I reached a hand up and moved towards the head. But it was thrashing around in agony and the closer I got, the more my arms trembled ad the more I wanted to let go. And worse then that was the _smel_l coming out of that crater.

It smelled like one of those dumpsters, or the trashcan outside of your house on a very hot day. Only, it smelled a thousand times worse. Like my cousin's lunch tray that she had left forgotten at the bottem of her closet for three months and came out smelling disgusting. That but only a thousand times worse. I nearly retched just smelling it.

I went slowly near the head and, _urgh_!, drew up Nico's sword again. Here's a hint: If you want to battle a dragon then make sure

1) That you aren't afraid of heights

2) You aren't afraid of fire

3) You have a good strategy

4) Make sure that the Lord of The Sky does not hate you

and

5) Make sue that that dragon isn't mad at you

The head of the dragon I was going towards saw me from the corner of his eyes and he released a very loud keening sound. It set my teeth on edge just listening to it. I raised the sword once again but the dragon saw it coming. It lifted up its wing to stop me. The sword pierced through the soft flesh and dug into the eye at the same time that the wings glazed across my back. It was a bad pain, all white hot pain. I gasped and felt the pressure leave. Blood..I was soaked in blood. I lost my grip in shock.

I fell, fifty feet towards the hard ground. The dragon roared above me as I began to fall. Three eyes left. And the ground slammed into my face so hard I blanked out.

* * *

Aw..Jamie has no idea how to kill a dragon. Neither do I, actually. In Percy Jackson and the last Olympian, he and Clarisse killed the Drakon by stabbing it in the eye so it was my best guess as to how to kill a Dragon. I hope that my grammar has improved. Thank you to everybody who reviewed so far! It really inspired me.

I hope that the fight scene wasn't too bad. I'm not good with fight scenes and can't really imagine how it would feel like fighting a dragon. Only Jamie could have bad luck as to fight a dragon. Just a little question: What do you think should happen to Jamie' mom? Is she going to be alive or died and how and why? Any ideas because I'm stumped.

Happy New Year to everybody since I know that I can't update in time!

I'll post up the next chapter as soon as possible ;)


	12. The Maiden Vs The Dragon Part II

Disclaimer: I do not Percy Jackson. Only Jamie. Enjoy the story.

* * *

This was a trap,

I thought,_ this was Luke's plan all along! _He wanted to get rid of me this me, the forest cackled with fire, the smoke entering my lungs and making me choke. My eyes watered automatically, even as I dodged from beneath a burning tree. One of the thicker branches had caught on fire and it fell down in a flash of orange flames, right where I had just been. It dissolved into burning wood there, charring the ground. The fumes drifted to the crescent moon, illumining it in a hellish light. And the smoke was thick, too, clouding the thin mist of silver that allowed me to see. One of the branches fell with a sizzle on my back, pinning me down. The dragon gave a roar of agony, tramping and stomping on the ground in pure rage.

The branch fell down on me so fast, I couldn't see it coming. One caught my shoe, the burning timbers catching my skin. I bit back a cry of pain and wriggled out of my left shoes, feeling the rough texture of the forest ground scrap against my bare skin. The pain was intense and I nearly tore my lip, preventing myself from crying out. Thick droplets of blood hit the ground, forming a small scarlet pool near my face. I breathed deeply through my mouth, not smelling the blood and began to shimmy out from under the burning logs. My arms bent out in awkward angles but I maneuvered quickly through it, and near collapsed on the forest ground.

My arms struggled pitifully to support me. Instead of collapsing like I so wanted to, I rolled to extinguished the flames.

Why, oh why, did I agree to do this again? Oh, yeah, I didn't. Luke lied to me! My vision came back dizzily and I managed to push myself fully off the ground. Everywhere I looked, I saw Dryads and nymphs working on putting out the fire. Some cried out as their protection faded and they scattered to the winds. My throat got all thick. If I couldn't somehow stop this dragon, this entire forest would burn down, all the dryads would lose their lives and it would all be my fault. I would be as evil as my father.

That thought somehow got me back on my feet. I coughed once and gingerly touched the small of my neck. It throbbed and I felt some kind of cool liquid roll down my fingers, hot and sticky. I shuddered, grabbed my fallen sword and began to move. Somewhere, I could hear the dragon's loud roars of agony, half the world a void, as dark as obsidian. I felt a little proud about that.

I held the sword aloft, my breath coming out in fast gasps. This was my first ever battle if that wasn't obvious already, and I never wanted to do this. The forest shook with the agonizing steps that it took. A black shadow fell against half the forest. Then, I realized...I was lost. Besides being totally embarrassed, I also felt a little annoyed. Honestly, what kind of hero was I if I was lost during an epic battle? So wrapped up in my self pitying thoughts, I didn't see the giant flame of fire until it was right at me.

At the very last second, I dodged to the side and felt the hot roll of heat hit me. I stumbled, lost my balance and fell. One of the dragon's heads, the one missing one eye saw me, hissing its frustration. The one in the middle turned its great reptilian face towards me, gave a loud keening hiss and opened its jaw wide open. I looked around for my sword and saw it a few feet away from me. My fingers felt around in the muddy forest ground and came up with a bunch of nuts. I sighed with relief, glad that I'd been on the girls' baseball team. I was a great pitch, even if not all of my balls were safe to hit.

As the dragon threw back its head to shoot another fireball at me, I threw a few dozen nuts down its throat. It made a sound half way between a hack and a choke and a hiss. It's eyes glared at me furiously as it tired to clear its throat of the dirty nuts. I used this chance to pick up my broken sword. Somehow, I knew that the dragon wouldn't hold back on me anymore. A coward through and through, I pressed myself against the bark of the nearest tree, praying that the burnt branches would cover my features.

When I noticed my legs sticking out, I climbed on the first branch...then the second..then the third..then I remembered how terrified I was of heights. I glanced down just as the thudding footsteps shook the ground. I shook along with it, shivering. I wish that I hadn't sent Percy away. Why did I have to be so thick headed anyway? I mentally cursed myself and nearly stopped breathing with the world shook with loud tremendous roars and shrill keening sounds. There was a loud flapping sound and the dragon's footsteps faded.

Cautiously, I pushed a few pine leaves out of the way to see what was going one. I couldn't find the dragon anywhere. When I tilted my head up, I noticed the giant spot covering up the silver moon. And then the dot was growing more and more defined when I noticed that it was the dragon. Even with half its eyes missing, the dragon lost no time in finding me. This time, I couldn't escape that long pillar of fire. There was something I hadn't thought of though. And that was my time freezing abilities acting up and ruining my noble death.

I don't know exactly how it works but it was like a gigantic blue and red icicle just came out of nowhere, inches from my face. My eyes popped open in surprise and I huffed out a long breath. Then, when I had enough wits gathered enough, I took a few timid steps away from the fire. Then another few and finally fell out of the tree. The branches snagged at the loos hems of my shirt and pants and caught in my hair. When I finally landed, it only knocked the wind out of me. Breathlessly, I grabbed the sword and began to run.

Something thorny and spiky made hard contact with my back. I gasped and closed my eyes as the world became a dizzying circle. Something caught my arm, possibly leaving a mark. I opened my eyes and my eyes widened instead.

" _Nico_! I told you to go!" I hissed. He didn't even dignify that with an answer.

" It's a good thing that I came here," He replied," You're getting whooped." I glared at him frostily and winced in pain." Hey, what's wrong?'

" M-my back," I whimpered," I don't know if I can move..," He frowned slightly and leaned forward to see what was going on. My eyes squeezed shut and it was all I could do not to cry out i pain. Nico made a slight choking sound and staggered back, his eyes wide." I-is it that bad?'

" I...," He shook his head," Nah, I really shouldn't tell you." That only made me even more nervous and mad at him.

" If you don't tell me, I'll just see it for myself," I snapped and was automatically flushed red when I realized how dumb that sounded. But Nico sighed, closed his eyes and stared at me morosely." I really do want to know," I hinted.

" Fine," He said abruptly," There's a giant scorched spot on your back and it's bleeding like hell. There's something embedded near the center of your spine and I'm pretty sure that it's one of the spikes on the tail," I closed my eyes, disgusted," I told you. You shouldn't have known."

" No! I-It's fine..I need to know," I took a shaky breath, holding back pathetic tears,' But you can't fight the dragon."

_"What?" _Nico's voice was a bare whisper but I flinched like he had just hit me. He lowered his voice slightly, staring at me with unfathomable eyes." Jamie...I don't understand you..don't you want help?"

" Of course I want your help," I said defensively but added,' But I have to do this by myself. It's..it's my test. To see if I am just a spawn of a Titan or if I can be ..be who you are." I blushed slightly at those words and noticed that they came out sounding weird.

" Be like me how? Be shunned by everyone?" He snapped, switching moods again. I lifted my hands helplessly, having no idea how we ever had this conversation in the first place.

" No..be a hero..Please, Nico. Just go...I'll be fine. I don't want anybody getting hurt because of this old lizard."

" You don't look that ugly," Nico pointed out, a crooked smile on his face. I glared at him.

" I was talking about that dragon,' I snapped.

" Yeah, I know. I just couldn't resist." I rolled my eyes and he continued." But you can't take on this dragon by herself. It has six heads for crying out loud. It is more deadly then even a drakon and most likely fused with whatever dark powers Kronos fed it." I felt slightly hollow as he said that. My father was destroying everything and I couldn't do anything to help. But the words that tumbled out of my mouth were surprisingly easy to get out.

" See, Nico? That's why I have to do this. And-and Clarisse defeated a Drakon," I pointed out weakly. He glanced at me.

" That was an accident! This is suicidal. This is..," He took a shaky breath," But this is no time for a big head, Jamie. You need the help. You're in no condition to fight anyway."

" I do not have a big head! Don't you understand? If I don't do this..if I can't get rid of this dragon and let it tear a forest down then I'll be as bad as my father is. Even worse because I let my friends down and I can't bare it! Nico, you have to understand. I have to do this. Not because I want the glory but because I have to. Nobody else should have to get hurt for this. Especially not you."

" I get it," Nico's eyes tightened slightly and he gritted his teeth," But I'm not leaving. I'll stay-I'll stay around here and try to put out the fire. You just don't..just don't...,' He trailed off but I knew what he was trying not to say. _Just don't get yourself killed. _I nodded tightly and stood up, wincing internally as it strained my back. Somehow Nico's words gave me hope, something I was sure I'd been drained of. He disappeared in a flash iof shadows, stirring my hair. I took a deep breath and turned to face the dragon, or at least to search for it.

No more being weak.

I tired to remember what they'd told me at my brief time at camp learning how to fight something that you couldn't see. Rely on your hearing. Okay...but I couldn't hear anything! Then, from the west, I hear an earsplitting roar and a human cry. My mind whirled in shock. No, It told him to stay away.

" NICO!" I yelled and realized I had captured the dragon's attention. Good, gotta keep it from getting to Nico. The dragon's head reared back and roared. I grabbed onto the nearby tree trunk and waited out the backlash had me reeling. I squinted and barely made out the dark figure perched on one of the dragon's scaly heads. I glared at him the best I could while struggling to stay straight as my relief flooded in me sharply.

"Nice of you to join us,' Nico said sarcastically and I had to strain to hear him.

" Nico, you promised that you would stay away!" I yelled. For some reason, him breaking his promise hurt me more then any wounds could.

His next words glued me to the floor." I lied." I wanted to run away and scream and cry and never come back. But being a Demigod didn't work like that. I had to act all brave and act like words don't hurt me if I don't want my dear old daddy to kill me where I stood. On the inside, I was dying. Then, I jerked my chin up.

" Fine," I said coolly," Suit yourself. But stay out of my way if you can't help." With that I lept up as the dragon's foot came crashing down. I grabbed onto the edge of one of the scales, gritting my teeth as it stood straight. I was so high in the air that I half expected Zeus to kill me right there. But he didn't, because the dragon had burnt about half the forest already. Without any regard for my own well being, I let go with one hand and drove the sword to the remaining eyes with so much force, scarlet blood splattered across my arms. It burned slightly but that wasn't the worst thing.

You see, hanging one handed by a dragon's neck is not the best thing to do. And it can be dangerous if the dragon wants to kill you and is roaring in agony. Especially if your grip is loosened by blood. My fingers began to slid off the smooth scales and my eyes widened. I was gonna fall and break my neck. My entire arm was beginning to slip off...

" NICO!" I screamed. A pale hand grabbed my arm and I was looking up at Nico's face, very pale with stress.

" What were you thinking, letting go?" He demanded. His eyes were screwed up." Are you suicidal?"

" No,' I said breathless," I'm letting go because I want to free fall fifty feet off a dragon's neck and get trampled."

" This is no time for sarcasm," He told me.

" Any time is good for sarcasm," I retorted and grunted in pain as my stomach brushed against the rock hard scales of the dragon's side." Nico..you have to let me go. I can get a shot in." If I wasn't so terrified for my life, his expression might have been funny. I mean, who know that Nico could look so horrified.

" You need to go see a doctor. I think that you may have gone crazy," Nico said, with a roll of his eyes.

" No," I said earnestly," I need you to put out the forest fire and there are still three eyes that I have to poke out and I-I don't want anybody else getting hurt by it." I was taking a huge gamble right now but I didn't really care. I saw Nico's eyes tighten slightly before nodding.

" If you get yourself killed, I won't be happy with you,' He informed me and his arm slipped and suddenly I was falling down in midair. My automatic thought was to scream but I didn't. If I did, Nico would save me. So, instead, I steeled myself and reached a hand out blindly. The scales burned at my hands and suddenly, I was falling the wrong way, near the mouth instead of straight down, just like I had planned. The good eyes of ones of the dragons saw me, and, instead of looking away, arched its neck to stare at me.

My sword slashed through its eyeballs, blood spraying on my arm and it burned slightly. I swallowed, keeping my mouth firmly shut so I didn't swallow anything. The roar was more of fury than pain at this point and the dragon thrashed around until I was suddenly falling. This time, fear gripped at my stomach because I hadn't planned for this. If I didn't do something soon, then I was gonna be a splatter on the ground.

Without pausing to think, I grabbed hold of one of the under scales near the dragon's stomach, slamming hard against one of the steel hard legs. Grunting with pain, I began to climb up, ignoring the angry throbs at my arms and legs. The dragon had enough though, and before I could even get close to the head, there was a whooshing sound that nearly made me fall off. Despite myself, I looked down fearfully and nearly threw up.

I was really high up in the sky, which meant that if I made one wrong move then I would be toast. If I got down now, then no damage would come to me. The dragon would finish off the forest but I would be safe. Was that too petty, I wondered. I swallowed and looked down again, the blood roaring in my ears. Screams came from below me, the dryads life forces draining, nymphs suddenly disappearing...and Nico and the rest were there also. If I didn't do something and fast, they were all gonna die.

Oh my god, I hated this. Why couldn't I have been born normal? Why did I have to be caught up in all of this? So I could atone for all of Kronos's mistakes? Was this my fate then? I swallowed.

I didn't want to do this. I really didn't want to do this. But I had a perfect shot The t of the eye right now and I couldn't pass it up. I shut my eyes quickly and scaled up the sides of the scales, hanging on by my fingertips until I hoisted myself up. The only head I hadn't touched yet was the middle one and that was the one breathing down fire and roaring furiously. The thing about riding on top of angry dragons is that they don't tend to fly straight and slow. They jerk around from side to side and they hit the air really fast, nearly unseating me.

The head I had just poked out was gone, reduced to a cinderiing stump, oozing with what looked like yellow pus. I felt the odd need to vomit. I grabbed the scales on the back and started up the spine, holding on to the horn when I reached the head. The dragon didn't twist around to get me but it pulled into a steep dive and I had to hold on until my arms were numb to keep from falling down. Worse, my arms had grazed against one of the hard scales near the neck, tearing into my arm and making my hand slippery with blood. I gulped and tried not to let my fear show as I tucked my arm in, cradling it so that it didn't brush against m skin.

A sharp turn left me breathless and unable to move. Just one more head to poke out, I thought to myself. I shuddered, wishing more then anything that I could grab a jacket because it was freezing up here. If Zeus killed me now, he would be helping me escape this pain.

On the bright side, all there was left was one more head. That shouldn't be so hard, I guess. But the thing is, once you've destroyed two of its heads, the dragon gets..well, kind of enraged. It bucked so violently, I felt dizzy and nearly let go. A furious roar lite the other half of the forest that hadn't been burnt into a smoldering amber yet. The naiads and dryads came out of the streams and trees and frantically tried to put out the fire to keep their life forces from being blown away. Below, I could just make out Nico, rushing forward to extinguish flames and leaping back when a fresh gale of flames burst forward.

I bit my lip to keep from yelling. That complete idiot was going to get himself killed if he continued stumbling around, playing hero. I ignored the screams and fire below, though at times the flickering flames would seem to beckon to me to jump. Readjusting my grip on the sword, I began my tedious journey up the spine of the dragon, dropping to my knees at times to avoid breathing in the smoke because the dragon's head did swivel around to blow fire towards me. How good it was not to be ignored.

The neck proved to be a harder problem to climb because of the steady stream of blood and for the face that my muscles had turned to mush. I was never mcuh of an athlete and running more then a ten minute mile made me dead tired. I settled back down on one of the spikes and took in deep breathes before climbing again, resigned by the fact that it was another ten feet to go ten on to the head.

Now lightened by its burden of two extra heads, the body of the one headed dragon was nimble and flexible, twisting around to dismount me. I grabbed hold of one of the spikes sitting on its neck and hoisted myself up to the head. Roaring with fury, clearly realizing what I was planning to do, the dragon did a desperate attempt to unseat me by twisting around and spewing out thin layer of fire. I covered my face but couldn't dodge it because there was nowhere to go.

The fire burned away at me. peeling off the sleeves of mys shirt and melting my shoes. I touched my hair and felt burnt pieces come off in my hands. At least four inches of hair had been burnt off, now leaving me with hair just slightly pass the shoulders. Involuntarily, tears sprang to my eyes. I had worked hard to get my hair that way. As a tear fell on my knee, I was rewarded with a sheering pain at my kneecaps. When I looked down,. I knew that my hair wasn't the only thing burnt. I hoped that my leg didn't have to be amplified.

I gulped and swallowed back tears before plunging foward with the sword and stabbing it in the eye. For one second, I stared at that eye and felt guilt twitch in my heart before thick pus squirted out of the unblinking eyes. My sword came out from the other side of his head and the entire head imploded, covering me with sort of lightly burning liquiod. A thick blak substance came from all three stumps and I realized that it was dragon blood. With another gasp, I realized that I was falling down to my doom at a hundred miles per hour.

I was so tired, I didn't have any room left to feel terror. I sucked in a deep breath and released it all in one huge burst that was all I could manage:" NICO!" I saw his shaggy black hair left up and saw his eyes darken. The air got harder to breath and I felt like a hand had pressed over my mouth. I couldn't breathe. Somewhere, I could hear Kronos's cold laughter fill my head. Hands caught me just before I plummeted down and did a face plant in the ground.

" Don't ever do that again,' Nico snapped," You scared me half to death." He set me down on my feet, which trembled, and I santk down to my knees. I shuddered and touched my ahir again. The soot of the flames had made it a whole shade darker then to begin with. I suppose that I could only be grateful. The awful red color of my hair had been dulled down to auburn but it was flaky and unruly.

" My hair-," I began.

" Why is it that girls always think about their hair first?" Nico complained," You just defeated a dragon, saved half of this state from being burned down and stayed in Zeus's domain without being burnt alive and you're worried about your hair?" I could hear a heavy edge of sarcasm in his voice.

" Uh, that's right," I said, though my voice was still dry. I swallowed." It looks awful."

" It looks fine, Jamie. I like it," Nico's voice was softer then I remembered.I tilted my head up.

" Yeah, thanks, I-" I stopped mid sentence because his closeness surprised me. Somehow, my brain jammed up and I could process nothing. Nico seemed stunned too, as a heady glow began to build up in my chest and radiated warmth to my collarbones.

" I-" I leaned forward slightly when someobdy yelled my name behind my shoulder. I turned red and turned back to my friends.

" Thank gods, you two are okay!" Annabeth said, tapping her Yankees hat nervously against her thigh." I thought for sure that you were dead." I could tell that something was bothering her, because she was chewing her lip and glancing behind her nervously. I cleared my throat, trying to forget about what almost happened a few seconds between me and Nico.

" What's wrong, Annabeth? You aren't fooling me and you aren't that good of an actress. What is it?" I asked, and winced when I stood up and pulled something out of place and sat down again. She jammed her hat against her fist, looking extremely edgy.

" Uh...Aphrodite is here to see you," She said.

* * *

Chapter Done! I would appreciate some reviews.


	13. Aphrodite and My Dark Secret

Thanks for all my reviewers! I do not own Percy Jackson..don't I wish though?

* * *

I stared at Annabeth without speaking, waiting for the punch line. She just stood there, looking uncomfortable and then looked up at me, looking as lost as I felt.

" W-why?' I managed to get out." Why would Aphrodite want to talk to me? Other then to kill me, of course." Annabeth pursed her lips slightly and shrugged, twisting around the hem of her shirt.

" Dunno, but it's not good to keep the gods waiting, least this one. Her boyfriend will skewer you." A strand of hair fell in her face and she looked a little wild. I took it that she knew Aphrodite from the past." You should hurry." Even as she said it, her eyes roamed over my charred skin, my lopsided hair, the soot on my face and mashed her teeth together slightly. Aphrodite wouldn't like me right now.

" Why is she here?' Nico repeated. His hands flexed like he wanted to grab my wrist but thought better of it. His eyes looked deadly. In a last resort, I turned to Nico. He met my eyes briefly." I think you should go," He said and smirked slightly when I groaned." It's not good to keep a goddess waiting."

" Even when she wants to kill me?' I demanded.

" Especially then," He said all joking suddenly washed away. I reluctantly moved away from him and followed Annabeth then stopped a few feet away, bending over and gasping.

" What's the matter?' She asked, blinking.

' My-side..hurts-like..hell," I managed out and gripped a tree for support as the world did a quick spin around me. I swallowed and tried to stand back up and felt Annabeth supporting me on my side.

" I am not going to let you fall," She said firmly and I felt automactically guilty for pegging her as a bad guy. In a whisper she added,' Aphrodite doesn't do things from the goodness of her heart...none of the Gods do. It probably means that she wants something from you because she didn't even show up to her own kids. Be careful around her. In some ways, she is the deadliest god there is."

" Uh..how exactly?' I asked, imagining Zeus with a thunderbolt, Hades with his helm, Ares with his bloody spear...and on the other hand, the goddess of love.

" Love makes people do crazy things and if you make her mad, she might..oh, I dunno, make you fall in love with a bear or cause another re-run of the Trojan war or something."

" A bear?' I half snorted then winced as I pulled at my side. I gasped and felt oxygen return to my lungs.

" Long story,' Annabeth said, her voice suddenly bitter. The light changed into a pink florescent glow and the air turned warm and slightly closed up. Right there in the middle of the forest was a long pink limo and three long clothes racks. Like, literally, right there. In the forest.

I felt Annabeth leave my side until I was alone with a pink limo and a few thousand dollar designer outfits.

" Oh my, this is cute," A voice said and a tall woman stepped around the first rack and looked in straight in the eye. It was a woman with long caramel brown hair and eyes that shifted colors. She was tall and slim, her amazing figure sheathed in a _chiton_ type of thing like I had always imaged the gods to wear except that hers was always shifting colors and it was slightly tighter then I thought.

Even as I watched, her hair shifted and changed, her eyes widening until I oculdn't look at her anymore. I gave up and stared at the ground. It seemed like she seemed to be changing to be as beautiful as my imagination was thinking.

" Aphrodite,' I said, though she didn't say her name. The unforgettable beauty was a dead give a way though. I looked up again to see that she was pawning through the racks.

" A girl always needs a few more choices of clothing to where ever it is that she is going. One or two-"

" Or two thousand," I muttered but she didn't hear me.

"-is never wrong, it is, Jamie?" She looked at me and smiled sympathetic. She flicked her fingers and my hair brushed itself, getting rid of all the blood and gore and smoothing itself into satin curtains on either side of my face. When I checked the color, I was disappointed that the color was sill auburn and not my trademark flaming red.

I bit my lip before even daring to talk." What are you doing here?' I asked quietly." I thought all of the Gods had it out for me." Aphrodite grimaced and held out a blue shirt, all stretchy and shiny.

" Could you come over here quickly, my sweet?" I reluctantly stood in front of her as she held the shirt under my chin." No," She muttered then held up a satin red shirt with a tight shiny belt." If I put this on, I'll be a laughing stock."

As tired as I was, that got a laugh out of me." You? You couldn't look bad if you tried." I glanced down at my own soggy shirt and dirt caked pants. In the presence of Aphrodite, I felt particularly inferior. " Some of us, though...," I trailed off, embarrassed. Aphrodite paused and looked at me. Her now blue eyes twinkled.

" Ah..., you really need to stop looking down at yourself, Jamie. Other girls can smell weakness from miles away and rob you of your territory." She put down the red shirt and examined a bloodied toga with interest.

" What territory?' I asked. Finally, I gave in to my urges and sat down.

" Nico, of course,' Aphrodite said and looked up in time to see my light blush. A triumphant grin flashed across her face, stunning me slightly." Ah.., I knew it. _I knew it! _Yo two are actually really cute together. And your story will be unique."

" Oh, really?' I scoffed and pressed a hand down hard on my left shoulder. Pain lanced up my shoulder and pulled a small groan from my lips.

" Mmm...every story is different but you and Nico, you have a particularly deadly relationship. It's going to be so much fun! At least for me anyway. And no good love story is complete without a little heartbreak."

I choked on what I was going to say next.

" What? Me and Nico are only friends! And-and what are you saying about _heartbreak_? This isn't Twilight!" I winced as the volume of my voice reached my ears. I twitched and felt a deep searing pain on my thigh.

" Aw, you are so cute! I wish that one of my own daughters could have the chance to break Nico's heart first but this is surely more entertainment. I've been dying to see something like this for eons."

" You still haven't answered my question: why are you here?" My voice trembled and black dots colored my vision. I heard her sigh and she glanced up to look at me.

" Love conquers all," She said simply," And Zeus had no control over. By the way...I was never here, agreed?"

' How are you even allowed to be down here?' I asked in confusion." If Zeus doesn't want anyone with me?"

" Oh, Demeter is sending Zeus on a pointless hunt to find some type of wheat that she needs or she'll plunge the world into eternal famine. She's got him distracted. And as for why I am down here...love is put on hold for nothing. And you will have a choice you'll need to make pretty soon."

" And you're not going to tell me, are you?' I asked roughly." That is so not fair. You just come down and say _oh! by the say, you have a devastating choice that you have to make and I'm not going to tell you anything! _It's no wonder I never liked the Gods much!"

Aphrodite seemed to find my little rant amusing because she made a little squealing sound.

" You have dark secrets in your past," She warmed and her face shadowed over slightly." Nico's past isn't the only one that's been washed out. In your case, there is a much deadlier force in play."

" And you're not going to tell me what, are you?" I asked bitterly and she smiled sadly, looking breathtaking.

" Nope, I'm afraid I can't," She said and held up a long pink dress, examined it carefully and shook her head, hanging it back on the rack and moved on." What I did come here to tell you is that I plan on making your love story much harder then it should be, just because I like you."

" Yeah, is that-what?" I choked again and nearly fell over." What would you do if you didn't like me?"

" Probably make you fall in love with a beast. Now my next piece of advice-,"

" Oh, how nice-"

" Start praticing on using your skills of time freezing," Aphrodite said and I froze in shock. It took me several minutes to find my voice again and by that time, she had already moved through a fourth of a rack and was holding up a ripped miniskirt, as mini as it could be without being counted as indecent.

" What are you talking about?" I demanded, though my heart pounded rather painfully at the thought of actually freezing time. Was it from fear or excitement? I began to panic slightly.

Aphrodite turned around to look at me, absently brushing back a piece of hair.

" Listen to me, hone. Even if Zeus won't admit it, he was never a match for Kronos. Even if I didn't fight in the war last time, I can tell you that Kronos's power..well, it's unique. Our combined forces are no match for time control. He can make us relive the same day over and over until things go his way."

' That's...that's scary," I muttered and began to feel a strange dull, sinking feeling in my heart as I thought of a question." But even if I master that..what use will that be against Kronos? I feel so useless." My voice cracked on that last word.

" Even if you can't, you are probably the strongest demigod we have right now. Not even the children of the big three can take on Kronos or his child. That's why Zeus is freaking out right now." Aphrodite looked me in the eye and her eyes were as serious as ever." If you decide t side with us, Jamie, we have a better chance of winning this war. "

" I'm not important," I said hastily. I gripped my hands tightly until all feeling was lost in them.

" Oh, really? Image this...the reason why Zeus cut up Kronos..other then the fact that he was a **_terrible_** father...was because his children are very power. I mean...six of the Olympians are his kids and look at how powerful they are. The idea that that there might be a demigod with his power is..mindblowing."

She picked up a print blouse and eyed it with interest.

" Big deal. So I can freeze some things," I muttered. What good was that compared to summoning bolts of lightening or controlling the sea or something.

" Jamie, imagine if you could bend time to your will, erase everything in a timeframe you don't want. Nobody but you will remember anything and you could use that to be a dangerous power. Even we Gods are affected by that power. Do you think that it's so useless now?"

" Now that you mention it, it does sound...intriguing," I admitted," But there's nobody to help me. Nobody knows about this..except for Nico but he can't help me with this."

" Why haven't you told the rest about this?' She asked, taking her eyes off the shirt she was examining.

" What are you, my mother?' I grumbled but when her eyes fixed on me, I sighed and explained," Look, it's not that simple. Annabeth just started to believe that I'm not evil but if she finds out that I'm..a spawn of Kronos, then she won't talk to me. Percy and the rest would just shun me. This is the first time I've...I've ever had friends and I don't really want to jinx it, you know?"

" Do you really thing so little that your friends would abandon you just because of who your father is?' She asked. I bit my lip and nodded.

" I don't really expect them to understand, really,' I said.

' You need to have more trust in them, Jamie. They might understand," Aphrodite looked back at the clothes," Now-what was I saying? Oh, yes, using your powers. The power itself is not evil, Jamie, just remember that. It all depends on how you use it. Smart girl like you should have no problem getting the hang of it."

" And...what'll happen if Kronos really does rise up?" I asked, a note of hysteria in my voice.

" Is that what you're worried about? If he rises up, his first priority will be to dethrone the Gods. I am betting that he will want to try to get you on his side, of course."

I bit my lip again and sighed, raking a hand through my hair.

" Is that all you came here to do?' I asked." Because from all you've told me, things are going to be glummy for me."

" No, it's not," She said. From her chiton, she withdrew a pink vial," This is a memory draught. It'll bring back your memories by a little bit, the ones that you've forgotten bit by bit. But drink it only if you want to dive into the darkness of your past. And this one," he pulled out another thing,a silk bag with drawstrings, inside it was a powdery substance,' You'll need this later so donn't lose it."

I was still thinking about her earlier comment and I froze.

" What do you mean by my past?" I demanded." I don't have any lost memories," I thought and added, "Do I?"

" Yes, my dear, I'm afraid you do," Aphrodite said without any emotion at all." And not even I know what it's about. All I can advise you is to take good care of the memory draught. But don't be alarmed if some things aren't how you want it to be."

I pondered her question while she pawned through a few more outfits. I estimated maybe five minutes had gone by before I got up the nerve to ask my question.

" Aphrodite...my mom-what happened to her?' I asked tentatively. That was the only question that I wanted answered right now. Nothing else mattered except knowing about who my mother had been and how and why she fell in love with Kronos.

For the first time, a little fear shown in Aphrodite's eyes like she didn't want me to ask that question.

" Nobody knows,' She said simply and smiled slightly at my thunderstruck expression.

" You're-you're kidding,' I sputtered." I thought the gods saw everything, noticed everything, _knew_ everything. And now you're telling me that you can't even do this one thing for me after everything that you put me through, you're saying that you don't know who my mother was?" I realized that I was about to cry. Moisture touched my eyes and I brushed it aside, embarrassed.

" Oh, I'm so sorry, dear! I know her name. Do you want to know that?' I nodded, blushing and Ahrodite gave me a bright smile as radiant as the sun.' Her name was Ciara Valentine, a graduate from college, getting a degree in medicine."

' Valentine?" I repeated." But my last name is Stone."

' When your mother and Kronos met...He was posing as a guy named Adrian Stone."

"And you know that abut you don't know anything else about her?' I demanded and laughed rather hysterically. My ribcage groaned in protest and the bag of powder wiggled slightly.

" I'm sorry dear, but most of your past is a mystery...even to me."

" Isn't there anybody else who knows?' I begged." Anyone besides Kronos?" My voice was desperate and Aphrodite paused and looked up. She looked thoughtful and calm.

" Maybe one other person," She mused. Her hands fiddled with a strap of a shirt but other then that, her full attention was on me. A small thin smile traced around her lips." But in a way...she is worse then Kronos. Even more powerful. Even more deadly. And she hates demigods and gods alike."

' Who is it?' I asked." Whoever it is has to be more managable then Kronos."

" Gaea," Aphrodite said and I froze," That wasn't what you were expecting, was it? Now, don't get your hopes up. Gaea has been asleep for the past thousand or so years and for good reason too. She hates the gods and, seeing as she is so powerful and large, it's hard for her to stay awake for a long time. How ever, a piece of her essence is still around today and she knows everything. She is your next bet."

" And what makes you think that Kronos will just up and tell me about my mother?' I demanded bitterly.

" Oh, not even he wants to see his children suffering much more then they have to." There was a pink light and she giggled as her racks of clothes began to disappear." It's time for me to go. One more then: Don't be too upset about what happens next, okay?"

Before I could ask her anything else, there was a flash of light and then she was simply...gone. Footsteps alerted me to a few people coming towards me. Annabeth charged out of the trees first with an unreadable expression on her face. Percy looked slightly queasy and Grover was chewing away at the hem of his shirt. Only Nico looked calm but he looked pale.

I managed to struggle to my feet, leaning against the trees as I did so. Something about this situation made me feel like I was cornered and judged.

" Annabeth...what's going on?" I asked weakly. ' I don't-"

Annabeth stormed over to me and pushed me to the ground. I fell on my shoulder and groaned in pain.

" What was that for?" I demanded.

" How long did you expect this charade to go on?" She shrieked. " How long did you expect us to be kept in the dark because of your dark little secret? Do you know how many monsters have been sniffing around our camp for hours?"

" Jamie, why did you do it?" Percy asked quietly." I thought we were your friends."

" You are," I said, puzzled," I still don't know what you're talking about."

" Don't you? Daughter of _Kronos_?" Annabeth shot in my face. Instead of feeling cold, I felt a surge of anger float to the surface.

" What were you doing, Annabeth? Were you spying on my private conversation with Aphrodite?' I asked harshly. Annabeth turned several shades of red before she could answer.

" It was in my intentions to question you sooner or later and something just happened to remind me of it," She said haughtily.

" It was Luke who said that," Percy muttered quietly." In your dream."

" Shut up," Annabeth snapped." It doesn't matter how I knew to come here. What matters is why I came here. I knew that you were good for nothing and now I have proof. Nothing is a bigger crime then being...Tartarus spawn!" My stomach clenched up in knots and all my anger drained out of my body. I shuddered although it wasn't very cold.

" Annabeth, I-," She didn't even let me finish.

" Where you ever planning on telling us? Or were you going to keep us ignorant until the day we die?" She demanded, spitting out her words." Because of you, our mission might already be in danger."

" I wanted to tell you but..,"

" But what?' She screamed. My voice sounded far away and childlike as I answered:

" I was afraid you would judge me because of that," My voice cracked. But wherever I turned, there was no sympathy on any faces. I felt like I'd been punched in the face.

" Have you been leaking information to the enemy about us?" Annabeth advanced and forced me to back up. Her face was furious." Is that why Chiron tells me that monsters have been more frequently going at camp and now they have to go into lockdown. Two demigods are dead because of you!"

I recoiled and felt cold.

" I didn't do anything. I'm just me," I said weakly but I felt like crying. She turned away from me. When I tired to touch her, she jerked away from me and walked away. I bit my lip to keep the tears from flowing.

" Jamie, I don't get how you could have fed inside information to Kronos. I thought that we were your friends," Percy said," Was that all an act then?"

" I don't know what you're talking about!" I screamed.

" Then, is it news to you that more and more demigods have been attacked over the country," Nico demanded," I suppose it's news to you that Kronos's army is getting stronger?" Nico dug into the ground with his toes and he dropped a huge bomb on me." Every demigod in camp half blood knows that you are Kronos's daughter. I don't know how but somebody told them a five minutes ago and now Iris messages are popping up all over the place. The campers put two and two together."

" If you go back to Camp Half Blood, you'll be...an offering to the Gods,' Thalia said.

" Yeah, punk. You are no longer part of this quest." Clarisse growled. It literally felt like a punch in the face. No air would come out of my lips for a while and I pressed them together tightly to halt the tears.

" No...you have to be kidding me. I didn't do anything to camp!"

" Then, it's an amazing turn of events, isn't it?' Annabeth said, though she was shaking.

"_ I didn't do anything!" _I screamed, causing Percy to jump. Said person came forward.

" Look, Jamie, it's for the best of everybody if you just-,"

" NO!" Weeks and weeks of frusteration poured out of me and my eyes flashed. My hand waved in a circle without my consultant and suddenly, Percy wasn't moving. I'd frozen him with so much force, the bottom of his shoes were icing over. Instantly, remorse overcame me and I dropped my hands, though having no idea what to do to reverse it.

" God..I'm so sorry," I began. Annabeth had enough. She took out her blade and placed it under my chin.

" Leave. Now. If you take one step towards us, we'll treat you as an enemy demi-god and kill you. We have little acceptance towards titan spawn."

" I'm not my father," I said softly. Annabeth's eyes were closed off.

" Leave," She said coldly," And you are exactly like your father. Except we can't cart you off towards Tartarus."

' Like your mother, Annabeth? How can a child of Athena be so stupid?" I spat in her face. Her face went icy white.

" Is it a duel to the death that you want, spawn? You won't beat me," She said.

" Leave, Jamie! Before you make things even more difficult," Nico said. I reeled back. How could Nico go up against me? I thought we were friends. I went back to my heels and through him back his sword, which twirled twice at his feet. His eyes widened slightly and he stepped forward, realizing just how bad he'd made things." Jamie, I...,"

" No,' I said harshly," Don't say it. Just-don't say anything. Leave me alone," I stumbled backwards as tears ran down my face. I turned backwards and ran, fumbling for Aphrodite's potion and drank it in two gulps.

My identity would be all I had right now.

* * *

_Mount Olympus_

" Oh, how dramatic!" Aphrodite gushed. Zeus grumbled something under his breath, still upset that Demeter had set him up for nothing.

' At least she's out of the way now,' Zeus finally grumbled. Athena frowned suddenly.

" But was it the best move on our part?" Athena reasoned. " The Iris Messages. The other side suddenly attacking. Where has that gotten us?"

" Got us rid of that punk, didn't it?' Ares said. He wiped his sword with some vines from Dionysus's throne and checked to see if it was polished well enough. He winked at a pretty minor goddess offering him wine and she giggled.

" No, it made us an enemy," Athena replied, crossing her hands,' As much as I dislike her, I fear that this had been our gravest mistake ever. What we have just done is delivered her to Kronos's service. Which will give her a reason to hate us. Kronos has just gained his most powerful ally yet. Thanks to us."

Silence followed this bold statement. Only Aphrodite was taking it calmly, checking her reflection in the miroor. All was going according to plan.

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I know I may have mentioned it before I want to thank my wonderful reviewers again. In the next chapter, Jamie will learn a little about her pst and her mom and how to use her powers. Any suggestions would be great.


	14. Alone time and Chiron's Advice

Oh my gosh! So many reviews! And for that, there's a faster update.

I do not own Percy Jackson. Again.

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I ran without stopping, blindly putting out my arm and feeling more and more like a fool for each second I was running. Finally, I couldn't run anymore and I dropped to my knees, pulling my legs up to my face and began to sob quietly. I knew that it was kind of pathetic but I'd always been rejected, kicked out of so many schools that my aunt gave up in fifth grade and told me not to go to school.

Since then, the only way I knew about school was sneaking into my cousin's bookbag at night and doing math and stuff from her textbook. Where the gods really that mad at me that they would strip away the only things that I'd ever cared about?

_Nico..._even he was mad at me. For some reason, that stabbed at me worse than all of of things that Annabeth had told me. Finally, I began to move again, clutching my head and agony. What I would give for an aspirin right now.

Evantually, I began to get stiff and started walking again, shivering. Oh yeah, my jacket had been ripped apart by that dragon. I wished that I had let it destroy the others. Or at least Annabeth. I regretted that thought almost instantly.

No matter how mean she was to me, I could understand her motives. She really had from the bottom of her heart thought that I was evil. Her mother was the goddess of wisdom so she relies on facts and not on what she thinks of me. She really believed that the gods didn't make a mistake.

I really couldn't blame her for that but as for Nico...I felt really awful about his change of heart. I couldn't pretend like hearing his name mentioned even in my thoughts didn't hurt me because it did. How could he have changed his mind so quickly?

I couldn't linger on thoughts like that, though and I dusted myself off and began moving again. It was getting dark and I didn't want to be alone when the sun went down and human scumbags came out, drunk and laughing. I'd had a bad experience with them and being in a too familiar place cut too close to home. It was the only time my aunt stood up for me, calling the police to demand that the men be arrested.

The nearby lights of the town close by was a beacon of hope. I began to stumble toward it blindly, tripping over roots and the muddy grass. I was too miserable to even care that I was soaked to the bone and that I had no money, but that was the first thing that I thought about when I stood in front of a gleaming hotel.

I was rooted in place, too tired and miserable to move another feet. My throat moved without a sound as a light tear hit my nose. It had began to rain. The rain was so continous, it appeared to fall in one stream instead of indivisual drops. I began to shiver and reached a hand toward the door, trembling.

I hesitated, fingers reaching toward the glass door. Maybe I shouldn't go...

There was a clap of thunder outside, making me jump violantly and I opened the door hastily. Warm hair greeted me, brushing against my skin and making me shudder again. I wrapped my hands around my shoulders for support, not wanting to fall onto the ground in a heap or else I may never get up again. I stiffened a shuddering sob. This was no time to break down.

I looked up to see that people were beginning to look at me funny, half suspicious, half..pity. That was too much..for strangers to pity me, I must've looked like hell. Two burly security guards came toward me and I scrambled back to the door when a cold hand fixed on my shoulder. I froze and felt a deep trembling in my chest. I was either ready to start fighting dirty or crying like a baby.

My breath came out in huffs as the guy looked at me with a slimy intent clear in his eyes. I cringed back when he jerked back, a white light spreading through his eyes until he looked absoloutely zombie like. Then, he glared at me.

" And just where do you think you're going? Your father will have our heads if he finds out that we let his daughter outside in all this coldness." I stared at him, astonished. The second guard knelt gently, taking my bag,

" We are sorry, miss...you won't hold charges, will you?" The other one asked and I blink again, nonplussed. One of them took my hand like I was a rich lady and I self consciously brushed away my soggy hair.

" Uh...thanks," I muttered. Any second now, they would snap back to their senses and throw me from the hotel. However, they guided me to the elevator and stayed with me.

" Well, your father paid an awful lot of money to keep his little princess happy while he's in Spain. The least we can do is make sure that his daughter is happy." One of them said absently and I froze.

" What?" I asked.

" Oh, Mr. Stone told us you were coming. He'll be shocked to know that we let you out of the hotel, Jenny."

" _Jamie_," I corrected but it didn't look like he heard me. In fact, it didn't look like he could hear anything. I wondered just what Kronos had done to him. Then, I shuddered. Whatever he did, I would worrry about later.

They led me to a small room near the middle of the hotel, away from the sky. There was only one window, which I was thankful for. I hated heights. The bedsheets were a faded grey color and the walls were gold. I sighed and sat down as the two guys backed out of the room. I took a deep breath and flopped back on the bed, curling into a small ball.

If I was going to cry, now was the time to do it. I made a half choking sob but I couldn't get anything else out. My eyes remained dry. Finally, I got up and stumbled to the showers, turning on the water without really watching what I was doing and ended up being assaulted by a steaming jet of hot water. I gave an involuntarily yell and quickly turned it off.

Then, I turned the water to warm and just stood there with my clothes still on until the water began to dwindle and turned icy cold before I stumbled out. A new pair of fresh cltohes, my size, was waiting for me at the edge of my bed, which I eyed like it might bite me. I didn't trust Kronos, even if he was my father.

I prodded it and decided that it was safe, unfolding it and then laughing out loud. There was no _way _that Kronos had gotten these for me because there was also underwear in there. I imagined that he would be as embarrassed at handling girly things as a mortal. Shaking my head, I shook out the tight black jeans and replaced my mud incrusted own pair of jeans.

The shirt was practical, a dark button down shirt with a small lace ribbon hanging off the side of one shoulder. I changed, not really caring if the clothes were pink and frilly as long as I had clothes to my name again.

For the longest time, I just stared off into nothingness, watching as the sky went from a beautiful sunset to a dark, storming grey. The rain was still pouring, like it was crying for me.

I fought back my fatigue as long as I could, not wanting to get sucked into my nightmares again but it couldn't be avoided. I could fell myself sinking into another version of the underworld, where candles flickered and the walls were a sickening red.

_There was a lot of animals, which comfused me. What happened to my old nightmares? But once I got a good look at this one, I felt like I should die then and there. Two armies of animials stood facing each other. It was hard to tell but it looked like they were ready to kill each other._

_One one side was about a dozen different animals; a peacock, an eagle, a horse, a hog, an owl, a stag, and much more. They looked angry and bristling and definately had an advantage in numbers._

_But the other side consisted of only a large shadow, yet so gruesome, I felt like spiders were crawling up my leg. The...thing had no limbs as much as I could see, only glowing red eyes where I assumed his face was. The shadows flexed around him and suddenly, I could see the faces in the folds of the shadow, the other titans, their faces freedy,_

_And another tucked right at the heart of the cold shadow._

_At first, I thought that it was me, in a weird future when I get seriously beautiful but then, the girl opened her eyes and my heart leapt down my throat._

_The woman was soft and delicate and, in my opinion, as beautiful as Aphrodite.( If I ever said that out loud, I had no doubt that said goddess would flay me alive.) But it was the truth._

_Her hair was long and tumbled back in soft ringlets, a vivid color of auburn that seemed to add color to her rather pale cheeks and sculped face. Her eyelashes were thick and curly, cresents on her cheeks when she blinked and her eyes were green, a bright shade of green._

_Mom._

_My throat got thick and I had to swallow. Even if it was only a dream, it was so real that my thorat clogged up with emotion. Was the really her?_

_The two armies approached each other, ready to ter each other apart. I opened my mouth to scream at them but nothing came out. They couldn't hear me. I was more or less a ghost._

_The sight that ame to frightened me more than anything. One of th eagle's wings cut into the woman's shoulders, even though she was enveloped in the black shadows and she cried out in pain, dropping like a puppet. Both sides reacted like she was important to them. The eagle helped her up._

_She was right in the middle._

I woke up screaming at the top of my lungs. I was sweaty and my blankets were wrapping me up like a burrito. I was shaking and I blinked back tears, The potion Aphrodite had given me had worked after all. I saw my mom. But now I had about a thousand unanswered questions.

Since I knew that a miricle wouldn't occur tonight, I sat up and rubbed my eyes. So...Kronos had been telling the truth after all. My mom had died. I didn't know how but I knew that he didn't kill her. In some ways, that shadow in my dream had been protective of the girl. Of my mother. So now, my questions had muliplied into a million.

Needing to shake myself up, I went to the sink and splashed water in my face. When Nico found out...

My world tumbled around me. That's right. Nico didn't trust me. He thought that I was as evil as Kronos. He hated me. Somehow, I'd forgotten that, or maybe I had deliberately made myself forget because I didn't want to deal with it. Now, I clutched the sink in an effort not to cry,.

I went t the only window and opened it, glancing down to see if there was a balcony outside. There was. A few feet lower, there was a balcony but I oculd tell that it was only there for appearance because it was set right in the middle of two apartments. Also, it looked slightly unstable. I didn't even pause as I lowered myself down on it.

The balcony creaked under my weight then quieted, except for the sounds of the night owls and the small drops of rain, all was quiet. I _really didn't get it! _The thought came out of no where. But there was one thing in the world that baffled me as much as Kronos did. And that would be boys.

And why the heck couldn't I get Nico out of my brain? I'd admit that he was actually pretty cute and he was really nice and always..almost always..there for me. So what did that mean? The answer came quickly, thanks to Aphrodite.

I must l...

I blushed as I thought about that. But it didn't matter. He hated me right now. I looked down sadly and looked at the sky, at the perfect cresent in the sky.

* * *

_3rd Person P.O.V_

_"Leave, Jamie! Before you make things even more difficult," _

The phrased bounced around his head head,

_Leave Jamie!_

_Leave Jamie!_

What the hell was he thinking? He sat up, the ground suddenly uncomfortable against his shoulders. The fire was flickering dimly and the grim look on everybody's face was evidant. Percy looked like the world had suddenly been yanked out from under his feet. Thalia's face was as grim as ever and even Clarisse was showing emotion; hissing angry words at Annabeth under her breath.

And Annabeth...well, she had looked better. Her face was pale and drawn out but she remained convinced that she had acted for the best. She placed her hands to her legs and stared moorsely at the flames.

" So...what now?' Thalia asked as an icebreaker. Annabeth looked up,

" We should go towards California because we have a little over a week left or something like that. We have to find Artemis and prevent Kronos from rising," Annabeth said bluntly and shivered slightly. There was a pause.

" You know...I don't really know why you guys kicked her out," Grover said after a hesitant pause.

" Bye bye, pretty lady," Tyson said sadly. His hands twisted with some wire coils on the ground and he smashed them flat." Oh, no," He rumbled. Annabeth's eyes flashed.

" What are you guys still talking about? She's evil!" She said.

" Oh, I dunno," Clarisse snapped," She's been more help to us than you have, Wise Girl. Would it be too much of a pain for you to admit that you were wrong for once about Jamie? And shut the hell up. I have a headache because of you."

Annabeth's mouth gaped open and everybody backed up in fear of being caught in a cat fight.

" Don't you blame me!" Annabeth hissed." Don't you think that I know what I did? I saved us! Why aren't I hearing a thank you?"

" Maybe because you don't deserve it!" Clarisse clarified.' And I dare you to tell me one thing that Jamie had done wrong...besides who her father is because _who cares_?"

Annabeth looked down, trying not to cry." It was for the best,' She said, as though trying to convince herself." I had to do it. I had to." Clarisse sat down, scoffing. Nico stepped forward, wanting to give the place a chance to cool down.

" Um..shouldn't we call Chiron to let him know what happened here?" Percy asked first, saving Nico. Annabeth nodded. wiping her eyes with her sleeve. She withdrew one golden Drachma and Percy conjured up a waterfall of sorts.

" O Isis, accept my offering," Annabeth threw the Drachma into the mist," Chiron. Camp Half Blood, please." The mist shimmered and then they were staring at a horse's behind before Percy cleared his throat loudly and Chiron spun around.

"Yes? Annabeth-what's going on?" He asked, his eyes skimming the group." Wheres Jamie?" Annabeth bit her bottom lip.

" She's..uh, not here," She turned fairly pink." We..uh, kicked her out of the group. Okay, okay! I kicked her out of the group!" Annabeth said as she meet Clarisse's withering glare.

" Why? Actually..yes, tell me the whole story. I have time." Dionysus sighed impaitently behind him.

" Okay...well, Jamie's father turned out to be Kronos," Annabeth blurted out.

" WHAT?"

" What?"

" That can't be!" Several cries came from behind Chrion and then they saw the students eating lunch. Annabeth put a hand to her throat.

" It is, I'm sorry guys. But she couldn't be trusted. Anyway...have you heard any news about Artemis? Or from the gods?" Annabeth pressed. Chrion scrathed at his chin.

" Nope, not a single word. I think that Olympus had gone into lockdown. Anyway," He said, ignoring the burst of questions,' Concentrate on your mission. And Annabeth...it would be in your best interest to know that making rash decisions based only on your personal feelings is very deadly for a child of Athena."

" But I-," She prtoested.

" Also know that placing your hurt pride above the group's chance of survival is foolish, Annabeth." Annabeth hung her head, sighing.

" Yeah, okay, Chiron. I guess that I screwed up. But we do have to keep moving, or else we might not be able to rescue Artemis in time," Chiron nodded and the mist disappeared.

" Well, should we rest for the night or keep moving?" Annabeth asked.

" We should rest for the night and go in the morning. I don't like the look of this weather." Thalia said. Nico frowned silently, wondering how quickly they had forgoten Jamie and if they were zombies or not.

" Guys, what about Jamie?' He asked, impaitence thickening in his voice.

" What about her? Look, I'm sorry that she had to go but we can't wste anytime trying to find her, okay, Nico?" nnabeth's voice was so false, Nico half expected her nose to grow in size. But nobody else pickked up on it.

" Nico, just let it go. We can yalk about it in the morning," Thalia said, picked up her bow and walked away without another word to him or Annabeth. Nico stuffed his hands in his pockets and then walked toward them.

When they fell asleep, Tyson snoring so loudly Percy had to move away, Nico sat alone, staring at the clouds in dispair. What had made him say the things that he had said? He didn't hate Jamie.

She was a friend.

Maybe there was more to her than everybody thought. She had cried in the afternoon, running away after she had hurt Percy. She had been crying...for them.

_That's it!_

He stood up, eyes narrowed with determination. Whatever happened, he had to find her. He had to make things right. He packed quickly and left, leaving a note in Percy's pillow. With any luck, he'd be able to find her within a few hours.

* * *

Hades narrowed his eyes at the picture he was seeing, growling deeply under his breath and caushing some ghosts to back up in fear.

" That girl will be the death of him," He grumbled under his breath. Persephone sighed at his side, absentmindedly touching the flowers and turnintg them into daisies and sunflowers and roses.

" Really, Hades, this is becoming of you. Let him live his own life," She said. He stared in boredom at the bowl of wheat in front of her, curtesy of her mother.

" But really, I never wouldn've expected him to get into girls in thsi young age,' Hades shifted in annoyance. Persephone raised her eyebros.

" Hades, you forget that humans, even demigods, have relatively short lives compared to us. By his age, Nico should be into girls right now. Just leave him be. Let him grow and mature by himself. If he wants to ritk everything for this one girl...,' She shrugged.

' And if she gets him killed?' Hades demanded. Persephone didn't answer.

_Wouldn't that be something if he did die? That would be a wonderful day,_ She thought.

" He won't die," She lied easily and went back tohe wheat. There was a fiendish delight in her eyes.

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Thank you to everyone who had reviewed. I have gotten so may reviews for the last chapter! Anyway, I guess I have to clarify a few things. I know that I'm making Annabeth kind of the bad guy in this but she' just ..being Annabeth. She's just thinking logically.

Also, I guess that I'm putting this right before the last book of the Percy Jackson series because I wanted to use Kronos in this story.

Too confusing? I'll update as soon as I can!


	15. Unwanted Suprise and Old Enemy

Okay, new chapter up! Thanks for all of those reviews!

I do not own Percy Jackson. Only Jamie.

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I gave up on stargazing and went back inside. My head pounded. My thoughts on Nico were still confusing and, really, I didn't even know my own feelings for him. I went back to my plush room feeling a secret twitch of loneliness. Believe it or not, I actually missed the loud chatter around the camp in our small group. There was a perk at staying in civilization though.

I opened the fridge and took out a bar of chocolate, chewing on it absently. I loved chocolate but now, I could barely force myself to enjoy the slightly bittersweet taste of it. There was something strange outside of my window. I hesitated, wondering if I should risk the gods getting to me. My curious side overruled my judgement and I slid out of my chair and made my way over to the window.

A small window appeared in front of my face and I nearly tripped backwards into a chair. The window grew until it was shaped like a human silhouette, taller than me by two heads. I hesitated, torn between running and staying to confront the person in front of me.

_They won't be so tough_, I thought savagely. Immediately, a smarter part of me quenched that thought, reminding me that I was unexperienced, younger, lighter and right now, trapped to do anything about it. I could try to call the police but then, what would I say? _Hello? Hi, I think that the gods are trying to kill me because my dad is the all poweful titan known as Kronos. Or, it could be demons sent to capture me. And you can't see them so be careful at who you shoot at because it could be a nice person._

Yeah, no. If I said that, I would get sent to the asylum for mentally insane people. Far too late, I moved backwards towards the door. Hands grabbed me around the wirst and I looked indignantly at the person who had grabbed me. Sandy hair, blue eyes and the long mark on his face..of course it had to be Luke. _Yeah, great. Kick me while I'm down. Thanks a lot dad._ I thought.

Luke scowled at me." What do you think that you're doing, idiot?" He demanded. I bristled angrily, pulling my arms out of his grasp.

" I think that I'm talking to a traitor and eating chocolate. Why?" I asked mockingly." Does it seem like I'm enraged? Because I am." Luke pinched the bridge of his nose in irratation.

" Yes, very smart, teasing the person who was sent to protect you. Now I understand why your grades are as low as they are, even in demigod standards. You aren't very bright, are you?" I could feel a sarcastic comment on the tip of my tongue but as I looked at his face, I could see that something was wrong. It made me stop dead. His eyes were dark with shadows under them. He was thinner than ever with pasty and extremely pale skin.

As though he'd seen me looking sorry for him, he snarled at me darkly. I refused to be intimidated, however, and sat down in front of him to show that I wasn't afraid of him. I picked up the candy bar and offered it to me.

" I don't need your stupid pity," He said coldly. I started and glared.

" Fine, I was just trying to be nice but I guess that you don't understand that concept at all because you're not very friendly and you have no friends and you're cold hearted and you're not even paying attention to-"

" You talk too much, you know that?" He said cordially. I stopped short and glared at him with venom. He returned the look mildly as though I wasn't very interesting.

" Need I ask you again why you are here?' I demanded when I could think of nothing else to say. He didn't answer me but I had expected it by then. I knew that he didn't like me. I was more or less a child to him.

" How old are you?" He asked abruptly. Startled, it took me a second to realize what he had said.

" Uh..let's see, I'm..a few months older than Nico, I think..and I'm younger than Percy by about a yeare so..maybe fourteen. I don't know." My brow burrowed as I thought of that. I had no idea how old I was. When I had been influenced by the Mist, I'd assumed that I was fourteen but I guess that it might be a fake.

" When's your birthday?' Luke continued without waiting for me to collect my thoughts.

" I..don't know," I said through gritted teeth," Why? Do you?"

" Yes, actually. I do," He said. I gapped at him and he allowed a smirk to cross his face, different from the photographs that Thalia had showed me.

" Well, tell me!" I demanded.

" No, I don't think so. I don't help people who are irratating, annoying and above all, childish. Besides, why do you want to know?" He asked smoothly. I mentally shouted at him. words that would have caused my aunt to scrub my mouth out with soap for a year. Luke smiled like he knew how much I hated him.

" Look, Luke," He looked suprised that I had used his first name. Actually, I was too." I've had a really hellish day. My so called friends all bailed on me. That complete moron Annabeth just sold me. I'm in a really bad mood and my day is ruined so can you just do me a favor and tell me what I want to know?' I was nearly screaming at the end of that sentense.

Luke looked mildly suprised by my nerve." You're not the only one, you know," He said quietly and looked alarmed that he'd said that." Forget that I said that, will you?" He muttered.

" Ah..I don't think so," I said sweetly and his eyes narrowed even further." Can you just tell me and cut me some slack just this once? Geez, Luke, you are more stubborn than Annabeth."

" I am not," He said, though a small smile twisted around his lips. His eyes turned cold, unseeing." Fine, ask your questions. But don't be suprised if you don't get the answers that you are looking for."

I was suprised that he had given in so easily, I had actually believed that he was going to say no and leave, like he always did. I couldn't help the small smirk on the corner of my lips.

" Wipe that smirk off your face," Luke commanded.

" Yeah, right, okay...How old am I?' It seemed werid for me to ask these questions. I mean, didn't everyone know their own age? I felt slightly embarrasssed but it was replaced by a burning feeling of curiousity. I had to know this.

" Fourteen," He said in irratation.

" A year and a half younger than Percy and maybe three months older than Nico." I mused; Luke refused to say anymores so I fired off another question." When's my birthday?"

" It was a few months ago," He replied.

" Is that all you're going to say?' I demanded and his smiled insolantly.

" Probably," He admitted and got up to grab a Coke from my fridge. He helped himself to a chocolate bar." You're going to regret eating all this junk food later on." He said.

" I never said that I was planning on eating all of it anyway," I defended," And-hey!- who asked you?" Maybe it was a little childish but Luke knew how to get under someobdy's skin, I could tell you that much. Why wouldn't he leave already?

" Are you going to be sarcastic and hot headed all day or do you have questions you want to ask?" Luke interupted my thoughts with his snarky voice. I swallowed quickly so I wouldn't say something I would regret. As annoying as Luke was, this was my only chance to get answers. But I didn't have any other questions about me to tell him.

When I looked up slightly, he was staring at the sky. His sandy hair fell over his face and with him turned away from me, I oculdn't see that awful scar on his face. I swallowed, thinking about all that he had to go through. Automaticially, I wanted to smack myself for even thinking about feeling sorry for him. He was evil and twisted and wanted to see the world fall.

I wasn't fond of many people on earth but that didn't mean that I wanted to see them all bow down before Kronos. That thought made me wonder what he would be planning for me to do. Maybe he would finish me off with the gods. Maybe I would just be one of those worthless demigods. I would take anything as long as I didn't have to grovel at his feet.

Ew.

" Still with reality?" Luke asked, drawing me away from my thoughts. There was that smile on his face that made me feel uneased. He was stretched out on the only chair there and had his legs crossed on the coffee table. To anybody else, he would look like a regular teenager. But I knew better.

" Yeah," I narrowed my eyes, wondering how to phrase my next question," How long are you going to stay here? Not that I want you to be here, but if you're going to stay here long, I want to see how long I have to suffer. No offense."

He snorted." How blunt, Jamie. I think I'll stay for a few days if you want me to," He leered at me and I flinched. He laughed quietly, so softly I barely caught it. When he laughed, it transformed him from an evil, arrogant, hot head to somebody you wished you knew." No, I'll only be here for a few more minutes." He frowned suddenly," Why are you looking at me like that?"

" Because you laughed-never mind," I said," Hey, tell me something. How was Camp Half Blood for you back then?" I could tell that this was as awkward for him as it was for me. It's not every day that you chat casually to your worst enemy calmly without going for their throat at least once. My question came out of the blue and it took a few seconds for his mouth to move again.

" QUuiet, dngerous," He said in summary and I snorted back on my luaghter." Things were pretty much the same. Why do youw ant to know?"

" I honestly don't know," I frowned," But things must've been better for you back then..I mean, from what I know, Camp Half Blood is now a war zone. Things must've been slightly better back then, right?"

"More than this year, yes. Me and Annabeth were still shaken up with losing Thalia so the first few months were not as fun as planned. But things were looking better when I found out I oculd stay for the entire year."

" You didn't like your mother?" I guessed. He gave me a look that clearly told me that the question was stupid.

" Yes, that crazy old bat doesn't know what she's talking about most of the time. I figured that it would be better to go away when I was younger than stay another minute with her. " He shook his head and was back to the old, annoying Luke that I knew and hated." Was it simple interest in my past that made you ask or was it...something else?"

" Go drown yourself in a lake. Do the whole world a favor," I snapped, waving my chocolate bar in his face. He swatted it away lazily, not even paying the slightest attention to my threat.

" Afraid I can't do that, Jamie." He said. He raked his hand through his hair, making it wavy." So, I never got to ask, why aren't you with the others?" I winced slightly.

" Like you don't know," I scoffed," But it's better for everybody, I suppose. Now they can go and save Artemis by themselves and I get to keep my head. Simple as that."

" About the rescue mission to save Artemis...," Luke trailed off, smirking at me in a superior way.' Maybe I know something about the mission. Maybe this was all a decoy. Maybe all of this was just part of a bigger plan."

" What are you talking about?" I demanded. There was something about his tone that honestly scared me. At the same time, I felt some sort of defensive for the gods. They wouldn't willingly allow their children to be sucked into a false mission...would they? My chest constricted." This better not be some type of joke."

" No, no joke. Actually, I was here on Kronos's orders," I groaned and slammed my palm into my forehead out of frusteration. Why did Kronos have to be involved in everything that I did," And he wanted you to be warned. Don't you think that it's kind of weird that they captured Artemis again? Isn't it weird hwo easily Artemis was captured?"

' Well, yeah...," I trailed off," What does that have to do with anyting?" Even though I was pretty much sure that the Oracle would never make a mistake and send us on a fake mission, it did make me feel uneased. What if this was all a trap?

" Oh, I don't think that it's any of your buisness," Luke grinned wickedly and my stomach dropped at the same time my cheeks flamed." Besides, it's time for me to go now anyway. Stay out of ttrouble, won't you?"

" Why, you-." Luke disappeared before I could give him a slice of my mind. I growled under my breath, annoyed that he had left before he could tell me anything. I was sure that he did that on his own. But still...what did he want to tell me?

Maybe the others were all heading in a trap? Maybe Kronos was smart enough to make them go on this quest while doing something else. But that would make no sense because there was no reason for him to lur them into Atlas's moutain just to kill them. Also, Atlas was free so what was the point?

As I was pondering this, my thoughts flashed back to Luke. Something about him drew my curiosity. Sure, he was evil, annoying, arrogant, acts like a complete know it all and never seems to be in a good mood but, still..there was a part of him that hated this as much as I did.

Regretfully, I put down my chocolate. it was a sad day indeed when chocolate couldn't help me. I flicked through the TV and turned it to a random movie. I winced slightly when I saw that it was a thriller movie and hastily chanced the dhannel. I had enough with horros to get me through the next life time happy.

_" Start praticing on using your skills of time freezing"_

Aphrodite had told me to start working on my time freezing abilities but that was impossible because I had no idea how to do that,. Was there an instruction manual for this, I wondered. I dismissed the thought but it kept appearing in my mind like some sort of annoying bee. My eyes snapped to the clock.

_Tick-tock._

_Tick-tock._

_Tick-tock._

Now how did I do this? Last time it had been kind of accidental so I didn't have a clear clue on what to do. I closed my eyes, feeling suddenly very tired and old. I tried to picture a pool of ice in my mind, then reopened my eyes, feeling foolish. When I looked at the clock again, it moved by, clicking as though to annoy me.

I slumped back on my bed, feeling utterly drained. This had to be the worse day of my life, worse than when I got expelled in first grade. At least then, my aunt had talked to me. To yell at me, of course, but still..

There was a slight movement outside on the balcony. I groaned loudly. Did Luke have to come back so soon? I mean, this was so annoying. Did he have to kick me while I was down.

" Go away," I said but my voice was muffled slightly by the pillow. The door opened slowly and there was a pause." Go away." I threw a pillow behind me without really thinking about it and heard it collide with something. I spun around quickly, expecting to see Luke sneering down at me.

Instead, I saw a sprawling boy around my age, flat on the ground with a pillow to his face.

" I see that your temper is as good as ever," He said and my heart nearly exploded with joy. So he hadn't forgotten me. Anger was enxt and suddenly, I wanted nothing more than to smack him around.

" Nico." I stated and he looked up at me, suddenly focused.

* * *

_Olympic_

_Thrid Person P.O.V_

Aphrodite wound a long flowing piece of hair around her fingers, suddenly seeming tense. There was a dark atmosphere around the room, not lively. Her own issues with love would have to wait.

Zeus's grim face was hovering above a lrge Iris-Message,.

" Typhon is stirring," Athena said slowly." That explosion Jackson set off must have woken him up." Ares was the only one who wasn't frowning. He polished his weapons on Dionysus' throne, even though the vines kept moving away from his hands.

" He's not fully awake yet." Hera said meekly, though she remained unchanged on the outside." There is still a chance that he will go back to sleep."

" Something doesn't add up," Athena cut in, ignoring the sharp withering glare the queen of heavens shoot her," Is it really just by chance that Atlas had once again captured Artemis, Typhon is stirring and Kronos had sired his first offstpring in over a thousand years? There must be some connections."

" Such as what?" Hermes asked. His winged Reeboks moved restlessly and his snakes kept whispering his his ear.

" Typhon has been a deep sleep for thousands of years. Atlas is not smart or good enought to capture a majur goddess by himself. And just how is it possibe for Kronos to have a child when he have never left Tartarus?"

" What do you think is wrong then?" Hera asked sharply.

" I'm getting there," Athensa said, unfazed," I am not sure the xtent of Kronos's plan but I do know that Jamie will play a major part in this. And...it would be best if they did not go to rescue Artemis. I am almost a hundred percent sure that there is a trap waiting for them there."

" Then, what are we suppose to do? Hide like cowards?" Ares asked loudly.

" I don't know," Athena said stiffly." We;ll just have to wait and see."

* * *

Author's Note

Sorry about the long wait. But this chapter was a little hard to write since I hadn't really planned for this. I love the cooments youg uys write, really inspiring.


	16. Things go from bad to worse

Hi, everyone. It's been a long time since I've updated, hasn't it? Oh, well, here's a little something.

I do not own Percy Jackson. Or Nico for that case.

* * *

" Nico," I stated and he looked at me awkwardly, dusting something away from his shoulders. His eyes were impassive and I couldn't read a lot in them but there was a little glimmer of remorse somewhere in there.

" Hi, Jaime," He said awkwardly." Listen, I-"

" Leave," I said, pointing to the door. My voice was harsher than I would've liked it to be but oh well." You're not welcome here." Of all the people to come here, it had to be Nico, the person whom I thought had been on my side then stabbed me in the back. His face was definately not welcome here.

Nico frowned at me.

" Jaime, don't be like that. I came a long way to bring you back." He held his hands up in surrender, though his air of arrogance still remained. I supposed that being the prince of the underworld had left its mark on him.

" Right," I said through my teeth." And I suppose that everything that happened in the past few hours was all in my imagination. I _didn't_ see you siding with Annabeth and you _didn't_ tell me to get the hell away from you."

All my anger, all my resentment bubbled over and suddenly it was all I could do not to punch Nico in the face. How dare he come here looking innocent and then trying to get me to talk to him when this whole mess was because of him in the first place.

" Don't be so dramatic, Jaime." He snapped then had the good grace to look abashed." Look, I know that I was way out of line back then but your reaction was uncalled for."

" Oh, really? And I suppose that Annabeth didn't just ruin my life and push me to the ground. And _my_ reaction was uncalled for, Nico?" My voice ripped through a few octaves and came out sounding rather shrill.

" Just telling it like it is," He said, shrugging. My anger dwindled; why was it that dispite Nico's cold attitude, almost nobody could remain mad at him for an extended amount of time?" So, can I begin telling my story or are you going to rage at me some more?"

I wanted to tell him to leave, to pout childishly and then punch him in the face. But, a small glimmer of rationality shone through my petty state, allowing me to compose myself enough to listen to reason. Though not much.

" You have five minutes, Nico,' I said and my voice sounded brisk, like one of those boring business woman," You have five minutes to convince me that you are innocent before I throw you down all five stories to the ground."

He winced." Look, Jaime-" He said but I cut him off.

" Five minutes," I repeated. I sat down and pulled my legs up. On closer inspection, I realized that he looked thin and clammy. For a second, I felt pity waver in with my unwavering anger. Yeah, some friend I was allowing him to starve.

" Uh, Jamie?" Nico said, drawing me out of my thoughts.

" Right, Um...why don't you help yourself to anything in the fridge?' My voice was always higher when I was unsure of something, and right now it was shrill. I winced.

" No, thank you." He said susipciously, probably thinking that I would poison it. Huh, maybe I should...

" That wasn't an offer. That was a command," I said with an arched eyebrow. When he didn't respond, I went to the fridge, grabbed a gronola bar and a bottle of water and shoved it in his hands.

" Well, thank you for your pushy hospitality,' Nico muttered and my lips twitched in an effort to not laugh.

" Five minutes," I reminded him. I sighed and and sat down.

" Okay, so where to begin," He said to himself.

" Start at when Annabeth was listening in on my private conversation with Aphrodite. I mean who does that? I knew Annabeth didn't trust me but to go this far as to try to actually find proof that I wasn't the persone everybody thought I was. I-"

" Jaime, you're rambling," Nico told me. I glared at him.

" Ignoring that. Are you going to begin or not?" I asked tartly. I didn't like being told I was rambling.

"_ Ri-i-ight_, so once you were with Aprhodite, Annabeth begin thinking about how the dragon got there. It frusterated her to not know something for a change and Percy threw in that there was no way you should have been able to defeat that dragon by yourself. He thought you were dead the moment he left."

" How nice," I huffed. Nico arched his eyesbrows at me." Sorry, go on with your exciting story."

" Anyway, Annabeth said that there was no way that you could have known how to kill a dragon and started making up some things that seemed likely. Each was as unlikely as the last until Percy laughed at her finally. That kind of caused her to snap and said that if nobody was going to help her, she would find out by herself."

" So after that she decided to spy on me, confront me and then cause me to leave because of who my dad was, unfortunately?" I asked. Nico thought for a second.

" Yeah, that sounds about right."

" Unbelievable!" I said." I am going to ruin her! She is going to wish that she had never been born." My hands balled into fist as I spoke.

" Don't you think that you are overreacting, Jaime?" Nico asked." Honestly, it's not like she ruined your life. Okay, so maybe she did but try to be the bigger person in this, okay?"

" I don't want to be the bigger person in this! I want to punch her in the face!" I snarled. My face slipped down.

" You're pouting," Nico said, with a slight smile.

" I am not pouting," I insisted.

" Yes, you kind of are," He said.

" No, I'm not! I'm just rearranging my facal expressions to show that I want something I can't have and showing I am upset by sticking out my lips." I explained.

Nico scratched his head, rolling his eyes.

" In other words,_pouting_." I gave in with good grace then winced, placing a hand on my shoulder, remembering that I had hurt it when I had battled that dragon. Nico's keen eyes zeroed in on my arm." Oh, yeah, you hurt yourself battling that dragon, didn't you?" He recalled.

" Well, duh," I said." Can you get me some bandadges from the drawer. I think it's there...," I trailed off when he went to get it. I sighed, rubbing my eyes. This was the longest day ever. Would it ever end? And Luke's unwanted appearance hadn't really put me in the best of moods. Nico gave me the things I had requested then sat quietly on the ground, staring up at nothing.

" What are you staring at again?" I asked curiously. I could never do that, stare off into nothing without getting irritated. Yet, Nico did it all the time. Maybe he really was thinking about a lot of stuff at once. Jerk.

" I'm thinking," He replied, as chatty as ever. His voice was bleak, and I narrowed my eyes.

" About...?" I prompted, elbowing him lightly. But Nico hissed sharply in pain and scooted away from me, rubbing my ribcage. Oh, well, I thought that I had punched lightly. Maybe I was stronger than I thought. Maybe Nico was just a wuss. Probably the first one...hopefully.

" Jaime, I really think that you should come back with me to the others. We need your help on the quest," He told me. I stared at him in disbelief, sure that that was a bad attempt at a joke. But he was staring at me earnestly, as though he meant it.

" Nico, I think that it's time I took you to the hospital because right now, you're acting insane. You know that I can't go back because of Annabeth. Besides, nobody but you even thought that I was decent to begin with. So, why would I risk my own life to save her worthless one?" I probably sounded bitter and I was.

" C'mon, Jaime. Just be the bigger person in this and let it go." Nico said, interlocking his fingers. I understood the guesture meant that he was feeling anxious now.

" No, a thousand times no! Absoloutely not. Why should I anyway?"

" Because of the prophecy," He told me and I stared at him blankly. He sighed, rolling his chocolate brown eyes. His tousled black hair fell over his forehead and I was sorely tempted to brush it back but it might seem weird.

" I don't know, but at the end it went something like..._When one becomes three, the answer is death..._or something like that," He added hastily at the end. I smirked at his perfect memory. I wondered how he could remember all that. I had dyxlexia, and a short attention span so how on earth did he remember it perfectly, word for word?

" You're a smart cookie," I said idly," So what do you think that line means then if it makes the great Nico, prince of the dead, scared enough to shake in his..shoes."

" I am not shaking," He grumbled," Anyway, what I wanted to say was, the group has already split in half when I came to find you. We divided into two groups..," My brain slowly began to work, as I took in what he was trying to say.

" So, if the remaining people split in half again...then, it would end up in death, is that what you're saying?" He nodded slowly. My self pity automactically vanished and I was on my feet in seconds, wincing. Nico flinched from my sudden movement.

" So, exactly, what are we doing here? We have to meet with the rest of them." I said, dragging him to his feet.

" Don't you want to pack first?" He asked in amusement. Before I could answer, he picked up his bag and filled it with water and a few light foods." We might get hungry," He explained. I nodded slowly then packed in clean clothing. At the bottom of my bag, I stuffed the little glittery substance at the bottom. To my suprise, I found another little souvenir Aphrodite had left me.

I held up the long, nearly triangular knife, its edges as sharp as diamonds. My thumb ran over one side and blood began to run down the side. As I examined the weapon more closely, I could see something familiar in it, though I couldn't quite place my finger on it.

The blade was long, nearly eighteen inches long, triangular with a clean surface that made my reflection come back to stare at me, though more perfect than I was use to seeing. I sheathed it, careful not to poke myself and strapped it to my arm, carefully pulling on a hoodie on top of it. The knife felt almost weightless. And on closer inspection, it didn't mark holes in my jacket.

" Are you done yet?" Nico's impatient voice jarred me back into existance. I took my steps slowly as I went towards him, hoping to sneak up on him. No such luck, however, because he spun around before I could get close enough to slap him.

" Yeah, let's go," I was less than inthusiastic and who could blame me. Why on earth was I risking my life to help Annabeth, the girl who made it clear that she hated my guts. I wasn't. Me and Thalia were friends, that's what I wanted to believe and I was going to save Thalia.

Annabeth could drown for all I care. On second thought...maybe I was being too hard on her. Or maybe not.

' We'll have to shadow-travel,' Nico warned me. I sighed." We have to. They're half way across the country already and there's no way that we can catch up to them by normal means of transportation."

" Can you get us on their bus then?" I asked reluctantly. He nodded once again, one hand in his pocket. He extended the other hand toward me, which I grabbed, still not use to the icy coldness of his hands. And then, we were moving.

Things got fuzzy and shapes became warped up in an endless cloud of black and grey. I felt like my face was going to fall off right then and I could barely breathe.

When we finally stopped, we were on a nearly broken down bus where the weather was incredibly hot and there was gum on almost every broken down, slashed open vintage seat. My butt was hanging off of the seat, one foot up on the seat, the other on the person sitting next to me. Nico was sprawled on the seat next to me, looking perfectly fine. Maybe even a little smug.

" Never do that again," I snapped then looked around." Uh..Nico, where are we?" The bus was full of only about a dozen or so people. A couple of them looked shifty and I clutched my jacket closer to me. No sign of the others. Impulsively, I put my hair into a ponytail, smoothing down the tangles as best as I could. Not great but it would have to do.

' I don't understand," He said, frowning," I was pretty sure that the rest were right here. How did they...they must have gotten off at the last stop." He sighed, reclining back in his chair. A couple of young teens stared at him with interest, including the girl sitting next to me. I snapped my fingers underneath her freckled face.

" Get a life," I snapped at her then looked at Nico." Can't we just get up and follow them?" He shrugged.

" I don't know where they are right now and it's dangerous for two unsupervised kids to be roaming around this part of town. This...isn't a nice place," He looked behind my shoulder and I spun around, staring out the window. Right there, I could see a couple of thugs with menacing eyes staring at me. Hard faces and large, ripped arms usually meant trouble for me.

I hoped they weren't looking at me. Carefully, I peeked behind me, to the very back of the bus. There was somebody there, eyes fixed intently on my face. I hoped I was being paranoid because even though I knew he was human, he scared me as much as a monster did. What little of his hair that wasn't cropped was copper, a long vivid scar running over his chin. His hands looked capable of breaking bricks. And those horrible eyes were fixed on me like I was a piece of meat.

I really didn't understand though. I never considered myself as pretty. All of the people around me, even Annabeth, were people I'd concider to hold a man's attention. Me? Not so much. My hair was auburn, but usually falling limply over my shoulders despite my attempts to curl it or something. That was why I usually put it in a ponytail.

And my eyes...well, I couldn't really decide what color they were. Sometimes they looked blue, sometimes grey. And, my skin was nearly burned red from all the time I spent running away from my aunt. In exactly twelve years, I had tried to run away six times. I'd been caught all my height was kind of puny, five foot four. I was lanky and slender, but nothing to brag about.

Now, looking at the man behind me, I felt like I was actually being hunted. I spun around quickly and took Nico's hand with my own trembling ones.

" Nico, we need to leave, now." I hissed as quietly as I could.

" Why?' He snatched his hand back quickly.

"Είμαι παρακολουθείται, να σας ξεγελάσει," I hissed at him in Greek. He glanced back quickly then narrowed his eyes when he saw that I was right, His chin tightened as he weighed out our options, just like I was. Obviously, we couldn't takle him because he was older than us and our weapons would just phase through him. Our best choice was to cut and run.

Nico nodded and we stood up, nearly charging through the door the next time that it opened. Nico went thorugh first, and I was hot at his heels. I chanced a glance behind me, I nearly cried with horror when I saw that the man was advancing. I squeezed Nico's arm to warn him and he speed up. I knew what the man wanted, my purse, my money...

" Cut left," Nico said grimly. The man followed at about a distant of about two blocks but whenever we sped up, so did he." Are you a fast runner?" Nico asked me.

" I..I wanted to try out for my school track team but I got sick because my aunt is an awful cook," I told him blandly. Nico was silent and I realized that I'd probably sounded like a dork.

" So, is that a yes or a no?" He asked me in reserved tones.

" That would be yes," I told him, then switched my bag to my shoulders so that I had room to run. Nico did the same thing.

" Just follow me. And if you fall behind, grab me. I'll find a reserved place and try to get us out of here," By the way he was grimacing,. I could tell that traveling by shadow-travel had taken a toll on him.

" Not a chance," I told him blandly. He gave me a look and then we started running. My feet barely hit the pavement. Behind us, I could hear sounds of pursuit.

" Why is he..after us?" I managed to scream.

" I think you know as well as I do," Nico's voice was grim, not sounding like he was running at all. I turned back again, to see the man was gaining speed. Then, I could see a few things wrong with what was going on. One, me and Nico hadn't been focusing on where we had been going and I could see a dead end sign up ahead.

For another, there was nearly nobody around here. If we had been around people, the man would have gone back. I doubted that he would strike with witnesses around. It was morning, and nobody was up yet. Also, the smell of garbage was strong in my nostrails. I wrinkled my nose, glancing behind me.

Instead of a tall beefy man, I could see that there was a large animal like thing chasing me. With the horns that glistened and that awful smell and the white underwear...it was the Minataur.

" I thought that I had killed him," I gasped and nearly stumbled over my own two feet. Nico grabbed me, possibly bruising my arm but I kept running. I'd worry about it tomorrow, hoping that I could live that long.

" He came back. I suppose that your luck just ran out," Nico told me and I wanted to yell at him but there was no time. The Minataur was approaching fast and ugly and then there was a major problem in front of us.

Me and Nico hadn't been paying attention to where we had been going and suddenly, the dark silhouetted shapes made sense to me. We'd run through someobody's backyard and ended up in a neighborhood, the type where there was only one road leading intot the street. However, there was a large truck parked there labled with some company name.

" We're trapped," I stopped running, skidding and possibly ruining the soles of my shoes but for npw, they were irrelevant. We'd been cornered and there was nowhere to escape. There was nobody to save us and nowhere to run.

" I guess it's up to us to stop this Minataur. Two untrained kids from Camp Half Blood who have been shunned by everyone, risking their lifes to save them." Nico said grimly.

" Yaeh, I guess so." I said.

So, what did we do when the odds were against us, we had no chance, no reinforcement and a disgusting smell right underneath our noses? We charged the Minataur, of course.

* * *

_3rd Person P.O.V_

The little cafe was filled with early customers. Nobody looked twice at the six kids all crammed into a table, picking at food and staring over their shoulders like there was monsters after them.

" I have a bad feeling about this, punk. We could've rode that bus outta here then eaten', princess," Clarisse snarled across the table. Her tray was empty, her shake still full, her fries demolished.

" I told you, it felt wrong. There was a hellhound following us," Annabeth answered, nervously tapping her Yankees cap against her thigh. She was anxious this week. Nothing seemed to be going right. Squaring her shoulders, she looked at all of the,.

" Look. we've been getting out of focus this week. We have to get Artemis...again, and try not to let anybody die this time. Now that this whole...Jamie," Annabeth said her name like a really disgusting swear word,"..is behind us, we can focus on our mission today. now that Zoe's sisters won't help us get ot the Titan's moutain, we'll have to get there ourselves."

" Of course," Thalia said," We'll have to wait until the Solstice, though, then try to rescue her before time runs out. Now hard can that be?" Her tray was completely untouched, except for the smal fry she was twirling in her hands.

" I can't help but feel like this has all been a set up," Percy said." Everything goes together too well for it all to be singular."

" Really, how do you figure," Grover asked. He's already finished his enchilada and his wax paper and was now trying to keep Tyson from destroying the table in search of his kiddie toy.

" For one, Artemis getting captured. Why would they capture her, knowing that people would come back to save her? Also, if Atlas already failed them, then why try to free him again? The Titans don't seem like the forgiving type. Alos, Annabeth easesdropping in on Jaime' s private conversation, it doesn't sound too much like the type of thing that she would do." He ignored the angry set of her mouth." Now, does everything seem too connected to be singulaar?"

" I think that it was Annabeth being a fool, as she always is. Putting her ego out there to ruin somebody's life," Clarisse put in, bluntly. Annabeth flamed up, her cheeks going extremely red.

" She wasn't a regular demi-god! She wasn't even a person..,"

" She was a better person than you, princess." Clarisse snarled. Thalia slammed a hand between both of them, keeping them both in their seats. Nobody talked after that, too aware of the tight tension between Clarisse and Annabeth. Grover caught a waitress' attention.

" Could I have two coffees to go please?"

* * *

* I'm being watched, you fool

I understand that the wait was long and the chapter probably wasn't as interesting as you had hoped but at least it's something right? Read and review, people and I'll update faster. As you all probably already guessed, the hellhound was how Nico found them.

HA! Annabeth, you screwed up.


	17. No more Friends, no more fights

Wow, so many reviews. You have no idea how glad I am to read your comments. So, here is the next chapter.

Still don't own Percy Jackson but I'm over it.

* * *

Imagine charging at a ten foot Minataur with a smell that makes a waste land smell like roses and snot dripping from his nose and lacking any form of clothes. Now imagine that times twenty and it still does not compare with what we were fighting. My knife was under my jackert and I pulled it out quickly, scratching my arm in the process.

I charged at him from the side, only to be pushed back by Nico.

" Stay out of this, Jaime! You're still injured," He snapped at me. I could feel something like the sting of betrayal when he said that but quickly demolished the thought. In his own weird way, Nico actually did care for me. He had proven that by coming back for me. Still, it was hard for me to watch as he charged the two ton Minataur with only his sword.

He slashed up in a wide arch but apparently, the Minataur had gotten smarter since I'd gotten to him. He dodged, leaving a trail of gross boogies all over the floor. I saw Nico's revulsion as clearly as though it were mine. I took a hesitant step forward only to see something slithering out of the shadows. I turned, chills crawling up my arm as I stared at the snake woman. A dozen _dracaenae _came out from literally the shadows.

They all had wickedly sharp swords, rods, or medal nets. I swallowed convulsively, gripping my knife and wishing that it was a long range weapon so I wouldn't have to go near them. One of them broke out of the battle stance and charged at me, clearly too impatient to wait for me to strike. I side-stepped, backing up quickly.

There was an unpleasant smile on her face as though already savoring her victory. The thing is, though, I don't like being counted out until I really am out. But using a knife was all too new to me. As her sword swung toward me, I used my knife to defend, feeling the blow up my arms. I nearly dropped my sword just then but simply backed up, shaking.

" Nico, could we swtich enemies?" I asked in a high voice. Nico spun around, his hair getting tangled again. It was pretty distracting.

" Why? You want the Minataur instead of the dracaenae?" As he spoke, he dodged, stabbing at the Miantaur's left arm, yet only producing a scratch. Something wasn't quite right.

" Yes, please," I swallowed, hefting my knife," I'm not a big fan of snakes." All right, so maybe I actually had a phobia of snakes, and that included the snake like heads on dragons, now that I thought about it. Once, I'd woken up to find a snake curled up around my head when I was a kid and never gotten over it since. I'm still squirmish about it now.

" Sorry, Jaime, you're on your own," Nico said," Beisdes, the sooner you kill those demons, the quicker we can go find Anna-uh, Thalia," He corrected himself after remembering that the thought of going to Annabeth would not be very high on my list of things to do. I nodded then turned towards the snake woman.

" What'ssss the matter? Too sssscared to fight?" Hearing a snake talk is just plain weird, I'll come out and say it. It is the weirdest thing I've ever seen in my life. I sighed and launched forward, eager to get this fight out of th eay. My sword sliced up her torso, inbetween the breastplate that she wore. Before I oculd draw my sword out, she desintergrated, leaving nothing but a few drops of green slime on the ground.

" What are you waiting for? Finissssissssh her!" One of them shouted and all of them ran forward, branishing their weapons. I swallowed back bile and hoped desperately that Nico could finish off Mr. Big-Lean-and-Ugly so he could help me.

As I dodged wave after wave of spikes and other sharp stuff, I realized thata maybe I could just get in there and get rid of them. I took a shuddering breath and lurched forward to stab one of them in the ribcage, and the aftershock nearly tore up my arms.

" Why are you attacking me?" I asked one.

" We have our orderssss," She hissed and pushed me away so hard I fell and rolled a couple of times. The back of my haed felt like lead right now and my not-nearly healed shoulder throbbed in protest. I stood shakily, and lunged again. I discovered something. If I could just get my knife between their guard, then I oculd just get them where their armor didn't protect, right above the rib cage.

Fighting was still alien for me, something that I didn't have much pratice yet. I could barely hold the knife steady without nearly cutting myself. Why had Aphrodite given me the hardest weapon to use, again?

Another demon came at me, this time a spear held in her grasp. My retreat this time was mich too slow and I fell onto the pavement, on my hurt elbow and nearly blacked out. Black stars danced in front of my eyes. Pain exploded behind my bones.

" Jaime, get up!" Nico yelled at me. I opened my eyes and rolled out of the way in time for a spear to go slicing through the place where my leg had been a second ago.I shuddered, feeling like ice water had been poured down my back and sadly I knew what thata felt like, thanks to my careless cousin. I raised the blade and stabbed a nearby demon, right in the ankle.

I didnt have good aim yet. Go figure.

Nico...well, he was nothing less than a show-off. The Minotaur was already gone, leaving behind nothing but a faint smell of garbage and rotting food, or that pizza my cousin hid behind the fridge for over a year.

With his sword, he was almost single-handedly taking on the demons.

" Fun time'ssssss over!" One of them hissed and waved something in the air before bringing it down to meet the ground. The ground trembled like an earthquake had just hit it. I shuddered, and nearly fell over again. Nico caught me by the shoulders as I turned to stare at the shins of a large giant.

" A giant," Nico said in a hushed tone," We are in trouble.' He was taking this so calmly, it made me want to smack him. Was I the only one freaking out about this.

" I take it that's bad news?" I asked and Nico gave me a look that clearly told me I was being stupid." Well, it was a fair question,' I defended.

" It's bad." He hesitated and that made me wary." Jaime, could you scale up up and onto his head, like you did with that dragon?"

" What?" I nearly screamed." Why don't you do it? With your shadow travel or whatever?"

" I used it one too many times today. Anymore and it might knock me out and I don't think you'd be able to take down the giant and drag me out of here. Am I correct? Besides, I'm faster than you and I'm a better fighter. If you could just get to his head and make him club his own head...that might be our best plan."

" I hate it when you make sense,' I grumbled but stood up reluctantly. I gripped my knife tightly until I felt like my fingers were going to pop off.

" I'll make a distraction and then trow up at the giant,' He told me.

" What? " I began to panick. He couldn't have said that, right?" You're not really going to-" He didn't let me finish and he began to lure the giant towards me, leaving me shell shock. In truth, the giant was huge and blue. Like, seriously, he was blue and whereever he stepped, frost began to form until his other foot stepped on the place and shattered it.

Nico began to taunt it, calling him names. Most of them were probably made up and I lost track of the conversation before I felt Nico grab me around the waist.

" Wait, I-," Before my protest was fully formed, I was suddenly launched up in the air. I threw out my arms automactically and then grabbed hold of the thick hair on the giant head. I hung on for dear life, because when the giant walked, it sort of hobbled slightly. I suddenly wished that I was safely riding on the dragon again.

" Hey, ugly!" I yelled and the giant paused. I knew that my insult wasn't the best but I didn't like insulting people. I really just rushed into things without thinking about them.

" Bad bug! Bad bug!" He yelled, waving his arms around like a child. I suddenly felt sad that others like him would be our enemies when Kronos rose. He reminded me of Tyson." Squish bug!" The sympathy was gone. A giant had with a larger club swung towards me. I jumped off before it made contact and monster remains showered over me before I landed.

The ground was coming at a fast pace and the pavement was in perfect place to crush me face. I stayed upright, hoping that I would land on my feet. There was a horrible sound under me but I was in one piece. I looked down and felt like my stomach had just fell to me feet.

My right foot was twisted the wrong way. I shuddered and nearly collasped. I had always been squirmish about blood but now, with my foot all twisted, I hoped I hadn't developed a phobia of fighting.

" Nico?" My voice sounded dry. There was a loud ringing in my ears and I think that maybe I was yelling. Nico spun around, taking care of the last demon. His eyebrows knitted together in a tight line before widening with worry.

" My gods, your ankle." He frowned, crouching and gingerly touching it." I don't have anything to set it with." He sighed, scratching his head and looking helpless. It wasn't a good look for him.

" We'll have to find Percy," I told him, in between breaths. Falling tht high had knocked the wind out of me. He nodded, though that little line of worry showed in his eyes.

" I guess so," He told me then looked awkward,' Listen, I need to...," He held out his arms and put one aound my waist so that I could walk withotu hobbling. His arm was still cold but my jacket created a thin barrier between us.

" Do you know where we're going?" I asked suddenly.

" No, but on our way here, I saw a little cafe and maybe there, I can get some things to help you." Nico didn't found very enthusiastic, though. I wanted to punch him. How was it that I was the one who had been injured and he was the one acting like there was no hope? It made no sense.

" How much longer?" I asked between gritted teeth. My jaw felt numb and my hands were clenched tightly at my sides. My adrendaline had long sense left me, making me feel like I was drained. My breath came out as fog.

" I don't know," Nico told me. We stopped conversation after that, not that we had a lot to talk about anyway. The scenery didn't change as much as I would have liked it to be; I wanted it to distract me. We made slow process and the fact that people were beginning to show up was particularly annoying because then the would get all sympathetic and that made me feel made. I didn't want anybody's pity right now.

" Let's just stop," I told Nico after what seemed like eternity. My arms were beginning to go numb, as well. People began to give me awkward stares, and more than one car had offered us a ride. My teeth were clenched in anger.

" I don't know," Nico said," I wanted to see if I could find a gas station to see where we are right now." But he set me down on a bench, with more than a few inches of wood chipped off and gum sticking out from the bottom. I didn't care though and sat down firmly, sighing. I hated the fact that such a small luxury would mean the world to me.

I pressed my hands to my head, being sure that my foot wasn't accidentily jostled. My head was throbbing and everything seemed almost unreal, like a dream like transe. I was only slightly aware that Nico had sat down next to me.

" Jaime, are you okay. You're looking a little pale," He said in concern. Or I think it was concern. His voice was so blank that he could've been amused and it would've sounded the same.

" I don't think I can," I told him." I'm freezing and if I have to walk as much as two feet, I'm going to pass out. Besides, I haven't had anything to eat all day and night and I'm starving." I couldn't see him but I got the distant feeling that he was rolling his eyes and shaking his head.

" You're...this is just show, isn't it? You're going to keep acting like this until I buy you something to eat?" His voice was incredulous, bewildered and annoyed. I felt guilty that I took pleasure in it. I looked up, grinning.

" Yep!" I chirped. He sighed again, tucking his hands in his pocket and scanning the street for something to eat. He looked older than fourteen, maybe sixteen or something. There was something about him that I couldn't put my finger on. I shook my head deliberately, shaking a curtain of hair between us.

" There's one across the street," He said slowly." We'd have to cross the street and we also have no money." I suppressed a groan badly and I could hear a smile in Nico's tone as he said," I'm just kidding. I have twenty dollars or something with me." I smiled and made to weakly grab for the money but Nico was faster than me.

" I'll get something. Come on," He said and we walked across the street in a weird combination of leaning, hopping and dragging. I looked at Nico sheepishly for being so easy to target but he didn't bat an eye. I could tell that someone thanking him wasn't something he was comfortable with. I slid into the booth as Nico went up to order. I crossed my hands, staring out of the window. My eyes began to wonder around the small cafe when they locked onto a pair of green eyes.

Percy held my stare for a few seconds before standing and coming towards me. My eyes quickly flashed to everyone sitting with him. No Annabeth. I relaxed slightly and allowed him to sit down.

" Jaime, what are you doing here?' He asked without preamble. He seemed upset for some strange reason." I thought that you had gone home."

" You know, I could ask you the same thing," Nico literally appeared out of nowhere, with a large tray of food he slid in front of me before turning to frown at Percy." I was trying to track you guys but you kept moving so fast, I couldn't."

" Annabeth said that somebody was following us," Percy said briefly then seemed to understand the look in my eyes," Annabeth is having an Iris-Message wtih Chiron right now. She's gone to a car wash for more water. Thalia went with her." Clarisse gave me an approving nod then helped herself to my fries. Grover tentatively smiled before sliding my burger off of the waxed paper and helping himself to the paper.

Tyson was distracted by a fly hanging on the wall.

" So, what are you guys doing in California?" Grover asked with his cheeks bulging. I spat out my Big Mac.

" Cali-, we're in _California_?" I shrieked. A few people shoot me weird looks but oh well. My eyes stared at Grover until he began to squirm.

" Well, yeah," He muttered. His hands fiddled together nervously and his eyes glued onto the floor, seeming fasinated by the small bead of wax there. I rolled my eyes and looked at Percy for confirmination. He nodded.

" Why? You not like California or something?" Percy asked, scratching his head in a rather cute way.

" I use to live here with my aunt. She's like the devil in lady form. She's awful," I complained," She treats me like I'm a bomb about to explode in a second. My cousin is spoiled rotton, but she's...pretty, I guess. They've wanted to feed me to the dogs since I was born." I put a hand over my forehead, a headache beginning to form there like whenever I had to think about them.

" So, I'm guessing that you aren't going to be going to her house by choice then?" Nico asked, completely oblivious to the stares he was getting from most of the female population, some maybe twice his age. Ew.

" Maybe when Kronos and Athena dance the tango and Atlas wears a hula skirt and Annabeth suddenly becomes much less of a know it al," I allowed and saw a hint of a smirk on Nico's pale face. One of his eyebrows went up, completely unfair because I couldn't do it.

" So what are you doing here then Percy?" Nico turned his attention to said boy, his face suprisingly hostile." After what happened a few nights back, do you really think that Jaime would really forgive you so easily? We hurt her pretty bad." I noticed how he included himself in it and felt a tight constriction around my throat. Maybe he did care...

" A girl is liable to rip your throat out if you piss her off," Nico finished and suddenly I wanted to throttle him. But Clarisse was fighting back a smile as she dragged back the rest of my french fries.

" He's right, you know," She said, shrugging. I allowed it, knowing exactly..to an extent what Clarisse could do to someone she didn't like. I shivered and Percy's attention came back to me, looking ashamed.

" Jaime, I guess that we did overreact back there," He managed," And I guess that the sleepless nights were getting to us. Tempers ran high and you and Annabeth both lost your heads and-,"

" Hold up. Wait, back up," I held up my hands," You said me and Annabeth. It was only Annabeth." Percy looked abashed but not willing to back down. His eyes had gone almost dark jade.

" I only meant that you really weren't thinking things through clearly and attacked Annabeth," Percy said and I snorted at the atrocity of the idea. Then anger came again, hot and acid tasting on my tongue.

" Please, Percy," I said," If you're going to apologize, then do it correctly. Do not say that this entire thing is my fault. Understand? This. Was. Not. My. Fault." I was nearly breathing flames by this point. He held up his arms defensively.

" Calm down. I didn't want to anger you again." He seemed perfectly calm except for the slight hunch of his shoulders, the straight rigid line of his arms." But..still, what you did wasn't the smartest thing. And I'm not pinning any blames or anything. I just thought that what you did was out of line," He finished.

" That's funny," I tried to say it lightly but my neck felt hot. I could hear the ring of ice surrounding my words but was too enraged to try to sugar coat it. A few people shot us funny looks." Because I don't think that you would say that to your precious Anna_beth_."

His face turned beet red.

" Leave her out of this!" He retorted," This has nothing to do with her. This is about your mistakes, not what she did on the best interest of everybody." I laughed, I couldn't help it. But it wasn't a nice laugh, it was the laugh of a mad peson, an angry peson who would have happily allowed the world to burn in ashes around them.

" Funny, I thought this was what this conversation was about," I said," Unless, of course, I've been imagining what she did to me and your response. I would have thought that you were more mature than that." I leaned across the table. Percy didn't respond for a while.

" Are you a bitch by your own rights or is it an inherited trait?" He asked coldly. I reeled back, feeling like I was doused in ice water.

_" You're mother was nothing worse than a bitch! Running around all over the place, not caring what men thought of her, only living in the moment, doing everything that she wanted without caring who was watching. And you're just like her!" Auntie's eyes were brighter than usual._

_" She was not!" I snapped back defensively, but my hands shook. My jaw hurt from where her knuckles had run over._

_" Wasn't she? Then, why was she pregnant at nineteen and no wedding ring was on her finger?" She snapped._

That had been one of the worse things that she had said to me and now, to have Percy say that about me...

My fighting instincts came back and I allowed instincts to take over. The same instincts that had sent me to jail for doing what I did to the principal, breaking his jaw and smashing his car.

I punched Percy straight across the face, his nose crunching pleasantly under my fingers, hot and rusty across my fingers. I leaned back, dimly aware that people were staring at me but hearing only a ringing in my ears.

" A son of the sea sould be calm and not judgemental," I said," I guess that you aren't half the person your mother is. You're not even worthy to be compared to your great and powerful father. You're nothing but a coward."

" And your nothing but _demon spawn_!" He spat, leaning across the table to get in my face." I was trying to be lenient on you, but it's getting really hard to do that with your snappy temper. You're always going to be the bad one in.."

" _Don't blame you and your stupid girlfriend's mistakes on me, Jackson_!" I roared in his face, slamming my fist down on the table so hard, my drink fell across Percy's shirt but he didn't seem to notice." I've had it with people making assumptions of me because of who I'm related to and I'm sick and tired of it! I refuse to be the villian here because Annabeth had you twisted around her tiny finger. You know why?_ I'm a person! I have feelings!_ It may not seem like it to you, but I can feel emotions."

" Don't yell at me like this is my fault. You were the one who overreacted, like you always do," He said, by no means backing down. In fact, anger seemed to radiate from him.

" You're just like Luke," I told him slowly and had guilty pleasure in watching his face turn deadly white, back to normal then flamed red with uncomtrollable anger.

" I'm nothing like him or you!" I'd done it. I'd finally gotten him made enough that he was starting to lose it. The water on the table bean to bubble." I'm actually a human being!" That bit hurt but it fueled to my anger and got me ready.

" Aren't you? You both hate the gods-"

" I do not!"

" _Let me finish! _You both don't like your father because they allowed you to grow up with nearly helpless mothers, getting no help from them and putting you and your mother in trouble. You both have the potential to be powerful. You are both in love with Annabeth and would do anything to see Olympus fall to its knees because they deserve it."

He stared at me for along second.

" No, I'm nothing like that. I respect the gods, Annabeth and I are just friends." He said slowly and precisely.

" You're just. Like. Luke. And one day, you are going to be as corrupted as him." I said in his face and watched his eyes narrow with anger. Suddenly, I felt a burning sensation, like my insides had caught fire.

" Jaime, you're starting to smoke," Nico said and I looked down where, sure enough, my skin had turned red.

" Percy, you're going to evaporate the blood right out of her body!" Grover said and I felt suddenly panicky before my rebellious attitude came back to me. I started to cough but managed ou what I wanted to say.

" I'm nothing like Luke and don't even think about comparing Annabeth to him as well. The only peson who relates to him is you, both of you scum and worthy to be wiped off the face of the planet without any regret."

People began to shift slowly behind me, finally having a clue about how serious things were.

" You're right," I paused for breath and the slow, cookin feeling inside me expanded." You are just like Kronos. I hope you die like him too. You coward...not fit to be a hero. _Scum._ You're already as corrupted as him, right? Too afraid to fight your own battles, but you hide behind your throne like your father."

" Leave him_ out_ of this!" He roared, so loudly I flinched but I didn't back down.' And you? You and your father are the same as well, unfeeling and uncaring, only caring about yourself. That's why nobody cares about you! Everybody will abandon you! Just leave and do us all a favor! Isn't that what you wanted? To gain power?"

" Perhaps," I tried not to let the pain leak through my mouth and show how much physical pain I was in." But, at least my father is not as cowardly as to hide in his throne and let people do the work for him. At least he cares about his children, because he told me thins. All I can for your father is that I hope he isn't deluded into thinking that you're the child of phropecy."

Percy's eyes narrowed and his mouth thinned. His hand twitched.

" You are our enemy now, you know? You're working for your dad, whether you know it or not. If it wasn't for the fact that I would never hit a girl, I would strike you down right now."

" You won't take me on, will you? You're just that cowardly."

He didn't attack me by drying out my blood. I watched in horror as his fist slammed into my jaw, upright to go up to my nose. Blood welled up in my mouth, the rusty taste penetrating my mouth. My chair toppled back and I went flying, my head slamming into the hard oncrete wll. People gasped; others screamed.

I landed on my injured leg, and the world spun around me slowly. My vison was filled with black and grey shapes, along with a headache you could die from. I curled up in a fetal position to wait out the pain. A high pitched sound filled the air; it took a while to realize that it was me.

And then light was fading...

The world was spinning...

Pretty pictures of orange and pink splattered across my eyelids

And suddenly everything snapped back to attention, everything becoming so clear that my head hurt trying to process everything in. Bites and pieces began to play in my mind before I sat up. Seconds later I fell back down, having put too much pressure on my injured leg. I gingerly touched my lip, feeling the gentle skin break under my hands and watched with almost a numbing feeling as the scarlet blood painted my nails red.

I looked up, across the room, where Percy had frozen, his expression torn between guilt and anger. When he saw me, his expression melted to horror. I couldn't bring myself to feel guilty about possibly breaking his jaw. I took a deep shuddering breath.

" You wanted me to be your enemy so bad, Percy? You would hit me? You would kill me?" Saying the words out loud make them a hundred times worse than I wanted it to be. Saying it out loud made things final. I swallowed past the lump in my throat." You want me to be your enemy? Fine, now I am. Congratulations, you must be happy to be right."

I made a break for the door and was out of it, in broad daylight, before the pain in my leg made me wince then begin to limp towards where I was going. The hot, merciless son bit at my skin and before long, my ponytail had been put in a bun, rolling one side of my pants up. I left the other side down to conceal my broken foot.

_Not so bad, not so bad... _I tried to say but felt a fresh wave of tears break through. I fell in a small crack between two buildings before the pain took over completely and huge tears began to stain my vision. I hardly ever cried but the pain of rejection hurt a whole lot worse the second time around.

For a while, I allowed myself to wallow in my misery, my arms wrapped around my legs until I felt my tears dry up and my throat was raw and coarse. I looked at the street, a touch of panic jerking me out of my miserable state. I had no idea where to go, no one to talk to. Where was I supposet to go next?

" Excuse me? Do you want some help?" A friendly male voice sounded from beside me, sounding polite but also a little mocking.

" Yeah, that's be...," I tilted my head up to see who it was. First of all, his physique was amazing, not too overly musuclar to anything but just lithle enough to let girls know that he worked out. But when I got to his face, I felt all of the blood drain from my face.

".._You?"_ I gasped.

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Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I hope that you were all satisified with this chapter. It's longer than I usually do it, over 5000 words! We are so close to the hundred reviews mark...maybe we'll get there someday. Well, until the next chapter...

Read and Review, everybody!


	18. Never trust your enemy

Wow, I didn't expect that big of a reaction. Here's the next chapter.

I don't own Percy Jackson.

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"...You?" I gasped, staring at the figure in disbelief. Why was it that he was always here whenever I was in trouble, then left as soon as I was out of it? How did he even know I was here.

But there Luke stood, in all of his glory, scowling at me until his face softened enough so that only the corners of his lips curved in distain. He jerked his head, one hand in his jeans, slung low on his hips.

" Well? Are you going to stay there staring like an idiot or are you going to follow me before you bleed to death?" Of course those were his first words to me. Why should I expect any different.

" I was _not_ staring!" I protested. But my cheeks flamed up unexpectedly, unnoticable because of all of the blood. I took a deep breath, then felt a hard hand grip my arm tight. I stared at Luke with loathing but he didn't seem to notice. His eyes were calculating then he shrugged out of his shirt, handing it to me as though it was nothing, leaving him in only an undershirt. I stared at the piece of clothing in his hands like it might bite.

" You can't expect me to trust you, do you?" I asked, trying to sound fierce despite the fact that I could no longer feel my feet," You show up to save the day and you expect me to be your best friend?"

" Stop being so dificult," He barked then scowled," Master Kronos gave me orders to keep you safe and that means that I have to get you healed or it'll be on my head." I thought about that and stared at him hard, searching for something to give me a clue about what he had been through. There was a faint burn on the left side of his arm, right above his armpit.

I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Nobody deserved to be punished. Plus, I was beginning to feel lightheaded. I nodded slowly and reached for the shirt but it fell away before my numb fingers could reach it. Luke stared at me then reached a hand to my cheek. I flinched back but held still the second time around, to prove that I wasn't afraid of him. His hands were warm, and it felt good to my skin.

" You are so reckless," He muttered then grabbed the shirt and pulled it on roughly over my own clothes to disguise the blood and dirt on them. I wiped the excess blood away from my face as best as I could as Luke grabbed my arm and began to walk. Normally I would have protested but I was too tired to care. Before long though, the numbness began to seep away from my leg, leaving it feeling throbbing and painful.

I stopped, pulling Luke to a full stop as well. He turned around, sweeping the hair away from his eyes.

" Now what's wrong?" He demanded, letting go of my wrist. The blood began to circulate through there again and I kept my eyes down, the blush returning at what I had to say.

" I sprained my ankle, I think. It hurts to walk," I mumbled. Luke stared at me like I'd dropped in from another planet.

" You've got to be kidding me," He swore," You have the protection of the god's worse enemy and you're brought down by something as dumb as a broken ankle?" I didn't reply, staring hard at the ground and holding back whimpers. When I looked up, there was a calculating look on his face.

" What?' I asked, suddenly self-conscious.

" I'll have to carry you, I guess," Luke said abruptly and my stomach turned to mush," Don't tell me that you're shy. It's not like I have any intentions of carry you away-your father would have my head. And I need to get you to a hotel before you lose too much blood." I would have protested but this wasn't the Luke that I knew. He seemed different...more caring. Why not seize the oppurtunity while it lasted, right?

" Okay," I said meekly and Luke picked me up as though I barely weighed one hundred pounds, which I did. He slung me across his back with ease and I gripped his shoulders in a tight hold. His hair smelled like coconuts and something else.

As he walked, I made sure that I buried my face inbetween his shoulders, not daring to look at the faces of passing bystanders. I was mortified by what they thought this looked like. It was a suprisingly short time later when he stopped then opened the door and cool, crisp air assaulted my face. I peeked up and saw that we were in a hotel room, plush, with red velvet furnature everywhere.

Luke unlocked my arms and deftly dropped me on the bed, earning him a gasp of pain and hiss of anger. He didn't seem to be paying attention. He tossed random pieces of clothing at me and pointed to the shower, his expression neutral.

" I trust that you can shower by yourself?" He asked, arching one of his eyebrows. My face flushed at the thought and I grabbed the shirt and pants he'd thrown at me and shut the bathroom door on his face before near collasping on the floor, panting with pain.

I eased pressure off of my leg by sitting on the toilet seat, staring at my own reflection and searching through my thoughts. Obviously, ther was whether or not I should trust Luke or not. After all, he had lied to me, tried to kill me...but always, ultimately was there when all of my friend weren't.

Then again, he had betrayed the gods, his friends, helping an evil madman...and was taking care of me even though he had several opportunies to kill me already. I squeezed my eyes shut before opening them weakly. I'd stay, and if he wanted to kill me, then I'd figure it out then. I was dirty and filthy and bloody and a shower sounded really good right now.

I dropped my clothes to the floor and turned the water up until it was steaming hot. I shivered violently when the water first touched my skin then relaxed slightly and took care of things. Within a few minutes, I had gotten into my towel, being careful not to look at my foot in fear of hyperventilation and looked instead to the damage that Percy had done to my face.

It wasn't too bad, but when I lookec closer I hissed with anger, one hand going to my cheek then wincing. He knew how to fight, all right.

There was a mottled bruise on my left cheek, and my nose hung at a weird angle; it was broken. My lips were split in half, and I carefully dabbed at it to get some dry blood off of it. My eyes were sunken, ringed with purple. My hair was turned scarlet by all of the blood. I dressed carefully, being overly cautious when it came to pulling the tight jeans over my leg and making sure that the tank top and jacket weren't touching my face.

Only then did I look at my leg, my back braced against the wall, rolling up my jeans carefully...and nearly fainted dead away.

Not only had I sprained it, it looked like the dragon had gotten a good bite or kick out of it. A long red wound stretched up to my knee, and I smelt the blood stronger than before, watching with wide eyes. Streaks of red had climbed up my leg.

Blood poisoning. That thing must've gotten to me without my knowing. I swallowed thickly, swallowing the urge to vomit. But lunch had to stay in, it was all I had to work with right now. I tied my wet hair up in a high ponytail, smoothing out the tangles with my fingers before walking out. Luke wasn't even looking at me; he was searching through a sleak leather bag, his back to me.

I stared at his back, wondering how such a caring person could have been reduced to someone like this. He was sweet enough and I knew that he could really make a girl happy. Whatever the Gods had done to him must've been bad. I sucked in a breath to let him know I was done. He spun around and nodded curtly before coming towards me with the bag. He'd changed shirts, into a teal blue tee under an unbuttoned blue shirt.

" Sit down. This will hurt," He told me then his eyes flickered down to my leg, where the red streaks were visible," Hmm...blood poisoning. And I was told that you tried to stay out of trouble." I rolled my eyes but sat down, playing absently with my hair. I eyed the bag skeptically.

" What's in there?" There was a trace of hysteria in my voice, much to his amusement." You're not going to stick up my leg, are you/ Because I'm going to tell you straight off the bat that I hate needles with a passion and there's no way you're getting within a mile of me with a needle."

" Relax. It's just some potions I had Medea make, healing potions. Quite easy to make, effectiant and easy to use, unlike ambrosia, which can burn you up. I'll start with your face then work down. Not like that," He added when I made a gagging noise.

" Oh, I know," I said and giggled slightly," But I thought that you needed something to cheer you up." For a second, it was like talking to a normal person, not Luke the Terrible but a friendly Luke.

" Maybe that is what I need," I heard him mumble then spoke clearly," Okay, get your face away from you face." He gripped my jaw tenderly and tilted it this way and that until I whimpered in pain. He was crouched on the floor and his free hand came up with a green bottle. He uncorked it and I smelled lavender and roses. He pushed some of the liquid into his hands then rubbed at my temples with it. Immediately, the headache went away along with my urge to hit him.

" Wow, that stuff really works," I said without really thinking about it.

" Mmmm...well, she is a witch. Of course she would need to be good at this or she'd be no use," He said and held up a purple bottle and held it out to me. It smelled disgusting." You don't need to drink it. None of this need to be drunken. Most potions taste repulsive," He said, wrinkling his nose," I know from experience."

I couldn't help but smile then it faded. What was wrong with me, laughing with the enemy? I shook the thought away. He wasn't my enemy for today. Today he was going to be my frien, Luke. Not that I would ever say it outloud.

He applied the purple liquiod over my face with gentle fingers, twisting a lock of hair behind my ears, and my stomach turned into butterflies. Probably from nerves but it didn't feel right. It felt...weird, and then my face was turning hot. The stuff stank but it soothed my skin and I noticed that the salty blood wasn't running anymore. I gently put a hand to my nose and felt it straight again, crusted with dry blood.

" Close your eyes," Luke instructed and I obeyed without really thinking about it. His fingers rubbed across my eyes and down to my jaw where he rubbed a lot of the stuff there. I opened my eyes to see his face was only a few inches away, his hands hesitating just below my lower lip. Then he hand moved up, to the delicate skin of my lips before I tasted the saltiness of the potion.

I pressed my lips together as he moved on to my upper lip, pressing his fingers together at the center in small circles. He appeared bored but I was literally doing sombersaults in my stomach. And it was a good feeling, like a crush. _Not_ that it was. At all.

" There, you're face is done and you look pretty-er than you were before, but that really isn't a big compliment," He told me. I scowled but was glad to have an excuse to not look at his face, which was inhumanly beautiful even if it was also inhumanly wicked as well.

" And my leg?" I asked slowly, unwillingly.

" Later," He told me and din't even flinch when I shot him a glare," We'll deal with the small things first. Anything on your arms or anywhere else?" I thought then looked at myself.

" No," I said slowly," I think that everything else is like, extremely minor right now. Can we just get to my leg, please? It hurts, like really bad," I didn't want to complain but it came out that way. I saw the side of Luke's face turn up in amusement, not quite a smile but better than his usual scowl.

" Do you always complain this much?" He asked, lifting up my leg and presing one of his fingers to it. I shuddered, then flinched before he dropped my foot and took out a few things, two pieces of wood and gauze.

" We'll have to set your foot first, have it straight before I can do anything or else your foot'll heal crookedly," Luke said then warned," It's going to hurt like hell."

" I don't want any painkillers," I barked; revolted at the thought of having to swallow one of those potions,"Just do it-quickly, before I come back to my senses." Luke shrugged like it didn't matter to him.

The next instinct, I felt a sharp pain near the side of my foot, along with a hot searing pain that had me biting at the inside of my cheek until it bleed and blood welled up in my mouth. My vision turned temporarily gray and my breathing became harsh.

When I could breath normally and my vison had returned to normal, I looked my leg, looking normal but slightly pink. I touched the unbroken skin, feeling...well, numb because it was really hard to believe that this had happened. Luke met my eyes evenly, and it looked like a barrier had slammbed back into his eyes, no longer easy to read and teasing like they had been a second ago.

" I'll go get something for you to eat," He said flatly and left, his back stiff and his posture distantly hostile. I wondered what I had done wrong, and decided that I didn't really care. If I went back to hating Luke, then our lives would be so much easier. But for some reason, it felt wrong when I tried to hurt him. Like kicking a dog.

I stared at my hands, settling back on the couch before Luke came back with two bowls of hot broth and bread. He set it down and picked up the bigger one, not even looking at me. His face was pale. I brought the broth to my lips, and aside from a slightly bitter first taste, it was really good.

" This is really good," I said awkwardly," I didn't know you could cook." He didn't respond for a while. He sucked in a deep breath like he was trying to pull it down to his feet. I stared down at the floor, a headache beginning to begin in my head again.

" Luke, I don't feel so good," I whispered. He still didn't respond but I saw his fist clenched. I looked at his face, then realized that the problem was that there was three of him. My eyes fluttered.

" Wha-?" I tried to say but my words slurred," Wha' you do to ma drink?" My head was getting thick now, my eyelids getting dragged down.

" I'm...sorry," He whispered," This wasn't my idea. I hope you're not too mad at me." The next thing I knew, the world had gone black and I could feel nothing.

* * *

_Third Person P.O.V_

Her lips twisted in amusement as she walked down the hot California path, her eyes searching for the one girl that she was seeking. A long lock of black hair fell from her shoulders.

There she was, alone. Annabeth's hair was twisted in a ponytail, her eyes distracted. She bumped into the taller, older girl.

" Oh, I'm sorry," Annabeth said. She stared at the girl in front of her wtih puzzlement; there was something familiar about her, from her long black hair to her warm eyes to the flower tucked behind her hair. She looked no older than eighteen.

" Do I know you?" Annabeth asked in puzzlement. The young girl laughed and the air seemed to shimmer lightly.

" Yes, my dear, you do know me. And I know you. But before we get into formalities, there is a favor I need to ask you." The girl said, smiling. Annabeth hesitated, biting her lip and playing with her hat.

" I really need to go," She hedged. But the girl in front of her shook her hair.

" You wouldn't refuse a direct order from a godddess, now would you?" She asked and Annabeth gasped then looked around to make sure that nobody had heard. Nobody was paying any attention to them. It was the middle of the day and the hot sun was beating down mercilessly at them.

" What-what do you need done?" Annabeth asked, flustered. It wasn't a good idea to have a goddess mad at you, especially when you already had the queen of heavens breathing down your shirt.

" Oh, it's nothing that you don't want to do," The goddess purred. ' It has to do with your...ah, friend,, Jaime. That's all." Annabeth flinched, slapping her cap against her leg.

" What about her?" She asked finally. The goddess's smile widened, then melted until it was only around the corners of her mouth. It made her much more beautiful. She produced a small silk bag with some sort of powder on the inside.

" It's something that you will slip into her food," The goddess explained, looking at the young girl's expression. She didn't look too upset." Just a little sprinkle in her food will do. That's all that I need you to do. No harm will come, dear, I promise you." _Not for anyone but that one girl_, she choose not to say,

Annabeth hesitated, torn between her hatred for the girl and her loyalty towards her friends. Her eyes flickered towards the goddess's again.

"No one will get hurt?" She checked. The goddess nodded.

" But make sure nobody sees you and that you don't mention me to anyone, dearest," She handed over the bag, which Annabeth slipped into her small bag. When she looked up, the goddess was still there.

" Who are you again, goddess? " Annabeth asked. The goddess chuckled and disappeared in a whirlwind of flower smells.

" Persephone," Annabeth breathed. Then she looked at the bag, before replacing it in her bag, at the bottom and leaving like nothing had happened.

* * *

Yay! A fast update. I'm so happy with the amount of reviews that I have. I'll try to update more frequently. That's all for now.

Bye.


	19. As If My Luck Wasn't Bad Enough

**_Wow! So many reviews! I guess that I've been updating quickly lately and that's because I've got the plot written out now. I'm so excited!_**

**_And for the people who were curious, yes, this will end up as Nico and Jaime. I don't plan on changing it. Unless people want otherwise..._**

**_I do not own Percy Jackson._**

Pictures.

Feelings.

Slight waves of nausea. A faint smell of oil.

A cold air swirling around me.

With difficulty, I opened my eyes to stare at whatever it is that was in front of me. My head was still heavy, and my limbs weighed me down like I was drenched in water. There was only a little sliver of light near me. I trailed my fingers along the side of the wall and felt the rough walls prick at my fingers.

" So, you're awake," The most annoying voice said. I spun around, eyes squinting into the darkness." Oh, sorry. Is this better?" Sudden light bathed the room and I gave a gasp and threw myself back against the wall, cowering in the corner. Luke gave a small laugh without amusement. I blinked a few times, then stared at the center of the room.

Luke was sitting on a throne like chair, surrounded by three demigods. One of them was the one eyed Ethan, the other was a girl with long black hair who kept peeking at Luke through her long lashes, her brown eyes shining. She was tall, slim, but in her hands was a long electric whip with long barbed wires which made her a lot less harmless. It was obvious who she liked.

The last one was directly behind Luke, hidden so that only his grey eyes showed, a child of Athena gone bad. So, I couldn't strangle Luke like I had planned. He had a cup of coke in his hands, a book in his laps. And he was grinning, though it looked a little forced. I looked around, realizing that the room we were in was stil rather dark and damp, curved slightly.

" We're underground," Luke said, as though guessing what I was thinking," It's amazing what you can do when humans are too arrogant to do anything about it." I stared at him, shaking.

" What did you do to me?" I hissed. The girl shifted slightly, only slightly but when her eyes met mine, I saw hostility flash in them. Her whip was trailing on her ground, but I didn't want to take any chances.

" I had my orders," Luke said briefly, but suddenly less animated than before," I told you it was nothing personal, didn't I?"

" Like I would believe that," I said hysterically," Was healing me a part of the plan as well? To get on my good side so that I wouldn't be too suspicious of you? You are the worse!" Frusterated, I made a move to hit him, all of my fury making me blind to anything rational. Suddenly, I felt pain against the crest of my elbow and gasped.

" I wouldn't attempt that again, you know," A girl's cool voice said softly," I may end up accidentally breaking your arm." I flinched.

" Let her go, Rowan," Luke said sharply," You can't hurt his one. This is the only one that you can't hurt." So her name was Rowan; it was a weird name but it suited her.

" As you wish, Luke," She said bleakly and let go of my wrist and I tumbled to the ground, catching myself on my hand before I hit the floor. Rowan settled back like nothing had happened. Her eyes narrowed.

" Rowan Cresta is a daughter of Hecate," Luke said, chuckling darkly but not very enthusastically," She could do worse to you than simply break your arm, you know." I stopped rubbing my arm and stared at him.

" Hecate? I was thinking maybe Aphrodite," I muttered. It was true; Rowan seemed like the sort of daughter Aphrodite might have. But Luke laughed like the idea was funny and I blushed before remembering that I was suppose to be angry at him.

" Are you going to answer my question?" I demanded, hands on hip. Luke's eyes flashed angrily at my tone but he settled back in his chair, drinking deeply from his cup.

" Did you ask a question?" He asked slowly. He saw my annoyed expression and his lips twitched into a smirk. I settled back slowly, crossing my hands so that I didn't so anything rash like kicking him or something.

" I brought you here because Kronos wants to talk to you. Hecate is coming shortly to bring his coffin. This will be where he'll stay. He's coming here to talk to you and your part in the war," Luke said without warning and I stiffened, the very hairs on my neck rising up. My hands felt damp.

" He-he's coming here?" I stuttered and felt like an idiot for sputtering. But I saw Rowan flinch and realized that maybe I wasn't the only one wh was scared to death of him.

" In a few minutes, yes," Luke said, ignoring the other people in the room and staring at him with something urgent in his voice," Listen, don't get too angry at him because he will not hesitate to kill you if you aren't up to scratch. He claimed you because he thought that you might be worthy but if you prove him wrong, then you'll be killed."

My mouth turned dry at the thought.

" You mean, that if I show one weakness-," I managed to croak, not caring that it was Luke who I was talking to. He nodded but he didn't look as worried as I felt. I felt like my stomach was about to burst. He looked a little bored.

" If you meet his expectations, then he'll let you live," He said slowly," But if you fail in one way or another, you'll be killed. It's what his does with all of his children, demigod or god alike."

" Wait a second," I interupted," Kronos had more than twelve children? I thought that only the twelve Olympians were his children." Luke threw back his head in distain, staring at me with the look the teachers shot me when I bombed a test.

" Of course not," He scoffed," But, over the centuries, his children have been a failure. There have been many close calls, a few actually managed to get his approval but in the end, they ultimately died because they were too weak to survive. Kronos took their lives and used it to regenerate himelf, bit by bit. You're the first one to survive this long in..a few hundred centuries," He said, shrugging.

I swallowed and rubbed my arms, goosebumps beginning to form. I managed not to throw up but sat very still against the edge of the room, not staring at Luke or his three companions. My eyes were glassy and staring. The thought of meeting Kronos scared me more than facing the entire army of gods with nothing but a piece of rope.

I thought that Zeus had been bad but even he was a little lenient; Kronos would have no such thing as tolerance, would he? A terrible thought filled my mind, filling me with dread.

Would this be my last night on earth? Would this dusty room and four openly hostile people be the last things that I would see before my life was taken as Kronos had done for generations now? I wrapped my arms around my legs and counted off the seconds in the hauntingly dim silence.

When I reached five hundred thirty eight thousand nine hundred seventy two, there was a slight stirring and I spun around , my mouth slack. Hecate herself was no great beauty; but she radiated danger and elegance. Her daughter bowed stiffly to her mother when a sudden thought struck me. If Rowan's mother was here, then why were they on the same side?

My eyes flickered to Luke, who met my gaze with a quizzical one of his own. I dropped my gaze, and when I looked up again, I could see an icy black obsidian coffin, with scenes of painful deaths and the very aura of danger surrounding it.

" _Leave us_." The cold voice filled the room and I could fill it affecting me, forcing me on my knees. And I wanted to obey because he was so much stronger than me, so much more dangerous and I...

I managed to hold myself up, standing awkwardly as Luke and the others went up stairs on the other side, the ones that I had foolishly overlooked, without a backwards glance at me. The guy in the back was huge, with huge muscles. And then, I was standing in the dark with my father. The lights had dimmed, overpowered by the darkness radiating from the box.

" _Don't you have anything to say?"_ He asked in amusement." _Silence is an unusual trait for you_." I gritted my teeth but held my tongue, not wanting to get vaporized on the spot. I don't know about anybody else but I happened to like living. I forced my numb teeth to form words.

" Was there a particular reason that you wanted to see me?" I struggled to hold back the bitterness but it didn't work. There was silence so deep that I could feel it in my veins.

" _You seem upset_," He said carelessly," _Are you sure that you're all right_?" I wasn't sure if he was making me angry on purpose or not but I felt the familiar bubbling pit of anger deep in my stomach.

" I never said that I was fine, now, did I?" I demanded, before biting hard on my tongue and flushing.

" _You have such a sharp tongue for a girl of your age_." He said." _Surely you have more attractive features-you resemble your mother in the very least_." I could tell he was baiting me but like an idiot, I fell for his trap.

" I never got to know my mother to know if that statement is true or not, now did I?" I demanded. Cold laughter filled the room, chilling my bones and making me shiver violently.

" _There it is! That sharp tongue that has many people cowering from it!"_ He laughed again, but it didn't sound normal this time. I cringed, before crossing my arms slowly to keep warm.

" I am not that-," I stopped talking when I realized what he had said," What sharp tongue? I do not have a sharp tongue. I am nice. Understand? There is no way that I have a sharp tongue." I realized, in a dim part of my mind, that I was acting like an idiot, but I had always been impulsive and I knew that it would someday be my downfall.

" _You really to learn when to shut that accursed tongue,_" He said calmly," _It makes you seem unsightly and childlike." _I wasn't sure what kind of reaction he was expecting but I knew that he didn't think I would punch him. I would have too, if he had a body and he wasn't a grown up and he wasn't the most power person alive.

" You never told me what you wanted from me," I said," And don't say it's because I'm your daughter and you care about me. We both know that that's a lie and you don't do things from the goodness of your black heart. Whatever you do has a motive, I'm just not sure what it is right now."

" _I was wrong. You are more perceptive than I give you credit for,_" He said," _Perhaps you are actually worth something."_A part of me was proud. Another part of me was still frozen from a few minutes ago. But a bigger part of me was offended by that comment.

" You never told me what you wanted," I reminded him with annoyance. My legs had long since gone numb and I was starting to lose feeling to my arms. if he didn't hurry up and get to the point, then his daughter would be nothing more than a block of ice.

" _It's easy: Join me, forget the gods, help me rise and overthrow Olympus_," He said. I stopped a yawn while it was still on my tongue, staring at him with the dumb look I often gave Annabeth. He couldn't have said what I thought he had said, right?

Even though I hated the Gods with ever fiber of my being, the thought of turning my back on the demigods, and joining Kronos felt like a betrayal. No one deserved whatever fate Kronos was giving the Olympians. And I didn't want to help him. My heart throbbed.

" You are crazy," I croaked," I would never join you. I don't...I don't turn my back on my friends." There was silence that stretched on for a long time. My heart hammered in my ribcage and I swallowed,wondering how he would respond.

"_Foolish girl," _He said in disgust," _Don't you know what I can do? I can save your friends, I can spare them. You'd never have to go back with your aunt again; you'd be treated with respect in my army. You'd learn how to control you power. And I wouldn't have touched a hair on your..friends, had you joined me."_

My heart sped up and I slowly took a step back. What he was saying was starting to make sense to me. His words painted a vivid picture in my mind, of me having power, of watching the gods crumble along with their empire, of saving my friends...

" _But by not taking my offer, you have doomed not only yourself but your friends as well. Think carefully. If you don't take this offer, then my army will hunt you down along with your friends. You will be destroyed along with the other demigods who dar stand in my way, as pawns of the gods. Nobody will be spared; and you'll die slowly, I promise you. This is your last chance to save yourself."_

My heart shattered, that was what it felt like. I understood what he was saying. Part of me wanted to say yes, because I knew that he could do all of those things. But another part of me told me that he was only going to use me, but like the gods didn't do that already?

" I..I won't," I whimpered then added more clearly," I won't! I won't let you kil innocent people and I will stand in your way to take you down with my friends by my side." It sounded impressive to me and for a second, my confidence soared but then he laughed and my confidence wavered.

"_ WHAT FRIENDS? Fine, go ahead and leave; I won't stop you this time. But that is as far as my protection will linger on you. Climb up to ladders and go through the trap door. After you make it through that door however, know that monsters far and near will be hunting you down. Find your friends if you can, see if they are still your friends after all of this. See if they are still loyal to you after what happened. Well? Go on!" _He laughed and I stumbled back, feeling tears begin to build up behind my eyes.

But I turned to the ladder before I broke down crying. He wanted to know if I was brave? Well, fine then. I would show him that I wasn't afraid of him. I climbed up the ladder with trembling legs and opened the trapdoor.

Dry heat blew in my face along with a faceful of sand in my eyes. I blinked rapidly and pulled myself out from the ground before I realized where I was. People were playing volleyball near me, swimming, or getting a tan. I was on the beach. Several people looked toward me in alarm. I smiled weakly before I took off running.

I needed to find Nico and Percy. It didn't matter if they thought that I was the worst peson in the world. All that mattered was that I not be alone anymore because I knew that Kronos was serious. I'd just blown my one chance at surviving in this war. There would be no second chance. I ran for a little while before I thought about an important thing.

I didn't know where they were. My eyes filled with tears that I brushed away angrily. I didn't want to cry. I wanted to find Nico. I took off in a general direction, to a park that I'd been to as a child. I sat down and placed my head in my hands. There was a ringing in my ears that wouldn't go away and I was already breathing heavily which was not a good sign.

I must be dehydrated already. I looked around hopelessly, already feeling like I was beaten. Dead. There was nothing I could do anymore. Percy and the rest would foreget about me and I would be here for the rest of my life until Kronos destroyed me, of course.

I heard footsteps that stopped directly in front of me and I looked up, already knowing that it would be a grown up. But it wasn't. It was Annabeth. She was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, holding a can of coke in her hands and giving me a weird stare. Then, her eyes hardened.

" What are you doing here?" She asked without preamble." I thought that I told you not to come back." All of the relief I'd felt about finding her vanished and cold anger replaced it.

" You did but I chose not to listen to you," I hissed," You aren't the boss of me, you see." She took a sip of her coke, staring at me with cold eyes before lowering the can and throwing it to a nearby trash can.

" You might want to take my advice right now," She sid," In case you haven't noticed, there' no one else here, no Percy or Nico, to protect you this time. If you cross me, I'll...,"

" You'll what?" I interupted and recieved a cold glare for my troubles." You'll what, Annabeth? It seems to me like you're all talk and no show. You can't have the guts to actually do anything to me without somebody to back you up, can you?"

" I don't like your tone," She said," Just remember which one of us is stronger, got it? Kronos may be powerful but you're not. I can crush you like a bug, in case you don't know. You're scared of everyone stronger than you."

" Like you?" I shot back before I could think about it. I tried to think of somebody that Annabeth would be scared of." I bet that if you met Rowan, you'd be singing a different tune." Her eyes went wide and some of her hostility melted.

" Rowan? You met Rowan?" She demanded." She's deadly, she could give Ares a run for his money. Even at camp, after the death of her little brother...," She faltered and stared at me, hostile again.

" Looks like you have met her," I said," She's really pretty, isn't she? And the looks she was giving Luke tells me that she joined for him." Annabeth remained in stony silence. I added cordially, just to taunt her," She _likes_ him."

" Shut up!" She snapped then said," Look, I want nothing to do with you anymore so, I won't tell the others that I found you if you never come here us again. I'll walk away and never bother you again if you quit trying to find us."

" I can't do that, Annabeth," I said then realized the truth of what I said.

" Too bad," She said," Because that means that I have to kill you."

" WHAT? Annabeth, I defied Kronos; I'm on your side. Monsters are after me. We are on the same side!" I said in desperation. Her expression wavered slightly.

" It doesn't matter to me," She said," I'll be doing the Gods a favor by getting rid of you. I have to do it." She got out her knife, not seeming to care of anybody was behind her. I knew nobody was. Nobody came to this park anymore because it wasn't exciting.

" Give up, Jaime. You're no match for me, okay?" She said, then dropped her bag, her eyes narrowed.

" You think so, huh?" I snapped back." I have a knife too okay. In fact, I will beat you with it." Inspiration struck me." If I beat you, then you have to lead me to Nico and the others. If I Lose, then I'll leave you guys alone forever."

She thought about it for a second then nodded.

" Prepre to lose everything, Jamie." She said then came for my thraot.

* * *

100 reviews! I'm so happy! Thank you!

I hope that you like this chapter. I'll update as soon as I can.


	20. A Different Kind of Evl is Going On

HUGE reaction. I'm so happy. Here's the next chapter.

I do not own Percy Jackson in any form or shape.

* * *

I gasped and dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the blade as it came slashing down, biting the concrete like it was nothing. I stared at her. Would she actually try to kill me?

She lunged again and this time, I was too slow. The sting of the knife against my cheek made me gasp and I jerked back. A fresh trail of blood oozed down my cheek and I glared.

" Annabeth, I'm not trying to hurt you," I snapped," Can't you see that I'm not trying to land a mark on you?" I dodged again as she swung out widely, her anger apparently making her oblivious to the fact that a small crowd had gathered around us.

" If you want to save yourself, then you'd better come at me!" Annabeth threw back her head suddenly and laughed." But as if you could land a mark on me. You're nothing special are you, Jamie?" I winced, stung by that. I pulled out my knife slowly and started forward. Annabeth's gloating expression wavered and then she went flying backwards as my fist connected with her jaw.

She touched her lip, looking astonished. There was a cut on her lip, making it stand out.

" I can't land a mark on you,_ huh_? Maybe you aren't as powerful as you want everyone to believe," I taunted her. It was a bad move on my part because I knew that she was actually deadly. But I could match her as long as I needed to. I wouldn't lose this.

I couldn't.

" You got lucky; that's all." She said softly and came again. But her sword wasn't in her hands. A sharp pain exploded across my cheek where she'd raked her nails into my skin. I twisted her arm back before she had time to back up. I twisted it behind her back and forced her to her knees. She groaned in pain but refused to give up. She jerked feebly against my grasp.

She jerked again and kicked at me, hitting my kneecaps and sending me reeling back. I placed a hand to my jaw to make sure that her nails hadn't hit me. Her eyes were bloodshot and wild; for the first time I saw the fierce warrior that she was all along. Rather than getting afraid, I felt defiance inside of me. Why should I be scared of her? How was she better than me?

She wasn't.

I set that in my mind then charged at her, dropping to my knees and fingertips like in the movies and swung my leg behind of her heel to knock her down. She fell hard but got up almost instantly, grabbing my leg and swinging me around with all her strenth. I started to feel dizzy and then aimed wildly at her head. She ducked and stared at me in shock.

" You just tried to kill me," She muttered.

" You were trying to kill me first," I defended. It sounded weak even to my own ears. And I still didn't want to attack her because I didn't think that it was fair. Annabeth must've seen the desperation on my face because she laughed once without humor.

" If you don't land a mark on me, Jaime, then you will never see Percy and the others ever again. Also, I promise you you won't live to see another day." She said that last part in a low vocie and I stared at her in astonishment.

" You would...kill me...," I muttered in amazement.

" I have to," She snapped," Nobody else will listen to what I have to say. I don't know whaty type of magic you put on them but you seem to have all of them convinced that you're right. All of them tell me that you're so _great_, you're so_ brave_, especially Thalia-_Thalia_!" Annabeth seemed to sparkle with hatred as she continued her rant.

" Um...," I tried to say but she cut me off.

" She and I have been friends for a long time now. And suddenly, you show up, trying to fit in with my friends and convincing them all that you aren't evil and turning them against me."

" I'm not trying to...," I tried to say again.

" I tried to get them to see reason. I tried to show them that you weren't the innocent little girl that they thought you were, but nobody believed me. They told me that you were their friend. They say it like_ I'm_ not their friend." Her stormy eye turned distant then suddenly filled with tears. When they fixed on me, they turned mad again.

" But I don't...," I said weakly. Her eyes were slightly wet when she stared at me. She seemed close to losing it.

" Why are you doing this to me?" She cried, and I froze in responce. Her knife clattered to the groun as she tightened her fist.s Beads of blood appeared in her palms but she didn't seem to notice. She had had a breakdown, I realized. Was this how she really felt.

" Annabeth...," I started to say again.

" Why me?" She screamed, lurching forward," Do you have to take away my friends? Mine? Do you have to take away everything that I care for? Do you have to take away everybody that I care for, that I love? You've already taken away Luke, now you have to try to take away my life?" A single tear rolled down her cheeks." Does everything I care for have to be taken away?"

I stared at her as she started crying and broke down completely. I tucked away my knife, simply staring at her in amazement, before walking towards her slowly. Her head was bent so I couldn't see her face but it twisted at my heart to know that I'd caused her to break down.

" Annabeth, are you okay?" I tentatively reached a hand towards her and she didn't pull away. She lifted her head to stare at me with dark eyes.

" I'll...I'll take you to the others," She said, sniffling," We found your aunt's house...don't be mad!...and we tracked her down and she agreed to let us stay at her house for a while in exchange for you leaving her alone for the rest of your life."

" Sounds reasonable," I said, nodding and helped her up. She wiped away her tears and took my hand to stand up. Up close, I could see that she and I were about the same height.

" Sorry about earlier," She said," But I was just mad, you know? I didn't know what to do about you and...I guess it's fine if you hate me." She said it casually but I stared at her curiously. There was something strange about her that I didn't like.

" Just how did you track down my aunt?" I asked curiously.

" She was renting out a room in her house. She didn't even ask any questions about who was renting it as long as they gave her the money. We paid her for today and she didn't say anything. The others are there now. I only came out here to clear my head and...get the others settle down."

While she spoke, she rubbed her arm in discomfort. When I looked closer, I saw a mottled purple bruise there and I flinched. I knew that I hadn't hit her anywhere near that hard. It must've been Clarisse. I followed her down the familiar path to my house and felt a huge lump well in my mouth.

Nothing about my old shabby house had changed: the lawn was still yellowing and there were several cigarette packages laying on the ground. The second window was still broken, with no effort made to disguise it. The hinges of the doors had been ripped open and nearly caved in. Several people sat in the living room, which was visible to my view. Upon spotting me, I watched Percy's face shift through several different expressions before settling onto a sheepish look.

I shifted uncomfortably, feeling a ball of guilt knot up in my stomach. I guess that I owed Percy an apology. And Nico. Where ever he was. I was hesitating to go inside, however. My aunt had never really liked me. Just how had Annabeth managed to convince us to let us stay.

" Annabeth," I grabbed her arm as she was about to walk. Her ponytail hit me in the face." How did you manage to convince my aunt to let me back in?" Her face turned red and she started twisting a few strands of hair, so unlike her.

" It's not really seeing," She muttered," I mean, he is my half brother after all, and he did tell me I could use it in case of emergencies."

" Who are you talking about?" I demanded. She shifted again, and gave a nervous laugh.

" It's just...well, my half siblings are kind of filthy rich," She coughed into her hands and continued," Most of them turn out to be artitects or something like that. The point is that one of them. Simon, agreed to let me get some money from his bank account. I used most of that money to bribe your aunt to let us stay for the night."

" Wow," I blinked, impressed. I knew that demigods who could survive into adulthood could do great things but I didn't think that Annabeth might be loaded. I shrugged, trying not to let it bother me. Who cared that I was the only dirt poor person at Camp Half Blood.

" We'd better go now," Annabeth said, still uncomfortable. I followed her on the dead lawn, wishing that I wouldn't remember the smell of ciagarettes at night or the fights that made me sleep on the streets for half my life.

Nico met me at the door. There was something almost alarming about the way he looked, his mouth so tightly pressed together that it looked demonlike. He hands were in his pockets but I had a feeling that they would be clenched.

"Where. Have. ?" He spat and I flinched, backing up and tripping almost automactically over the doorway. His icy cold hands pulled me up roughly, and I pulled myself out of his grasp as soon as I could.

"Ow," I muttered but he didn't seem to care," Look, if you must know, I was with...someone and I couldn't come back automactically. But I'm fine now, not a scratch on me." He seemed to loosen slightly in responce but I could have been imagining it.

"You scared me half to death and that's all you can say?" Nico says and I can hear the frusteration in his voice as clearly as though he was yelling it. I flinched, and shoved my hands in my pocket

" Well, what am I suppose to say?" I demanded. I really had no idea which direction this was going in and frankly I was bewildered that Nico seemed so offended like I'd just punched him in the face. He tilted his head back, sighing.

" I. . ," The words came out precise and seperate, each slinging me in the shoulder," I searched for you everywhere I could and I couldn't find you. How would that make you_ feel_?" I gulped, feeling ashamed.

" Sorry, Nico," I muttered. He didn't seem t like that. He swept his bangs out of his face and stared at me.

" Yes, sorry will fix everything," He stormed off as I stared after him, incredulous.

"What was that about?" I demanded, turning around to stare at Percy. Percy shrugged but he looked mischievous. I noticed, with some disappointment, that his nose was back to the way it usually was. I mentally cursed at the ambrosia he must have taken.

" I guess that you disppearing all the time finally got to me," He said, shrugging," You have to admit that it gets annoying to chase somebody down who keeps disappearing, thinking that they're dead and they come back perfectly healed in a few hours." Guilt came crashing down on my shoulders at what I had put him through. I shook my head; this was not my fault.

I didn't need Nico to watch after me. Somebody grabbed my arm. I stared at Annabeth in confusion and her eyes were hesitant.

" Your...cousin, is very anxious to see you," She said, shrugging." Was it Sasha? Anyway, she's in the kitchen. I thought that you would like to talk to her, you know. She seems very nice." I stared at her, horrified. So Sasha had gotten to her as well?

" Hell no," I said loudly," If you think that I would talk to her after what she has put me through then you are a few-,"

" Jamie," Annabeth cut me off, shaking her head a little wistfully," I know that family isn't always what we want it to be but she's somebody who you have and I think that you should try to forget about all this, try to make things right. You may never see her again." I didn't want to but I sighed, knowing that I would cave in soon.

I started toward the kitchen, with feet that dragged like lead. I hesitated at the door and I heard her high pitched laughter that made me purse my lips and want to plug my ears. I sighed, and opened the door, staring at the sight before me. Sasha was the same as ever.

Her long sweeping hair was nearly auburn, but there were streaks of gold and silver mixed in them that brought gold tones in her green eyes. She was tall and slender and laughing...and her hand was wrapped around a certain prince of the underworlds' shoulder. I stared at him, watching as Nico looked at her with...I don't know what but he was almost smiling, his lips twitching slightly in a smile.

Sasha was as old as I was and tall, nearly as tall as Nico. She had to tilt her head to look at him, sometimes brushing away his hair from his eyes and laughing. Constantly.

" I'm sorry, was I interrupting something?" I asked with quiet fury. I really didn't know why I reacted like this but I knew that it wasn't like me at all. There was no reason for me to be this mad but when I looked at how possessively Sasha's fingers curleda round Nico's shoulders, I felt like I wanted to kill her, choke her to death.

" No, of course not," She tossed back her hair, smiling without showing any teeth but not moving an inch," I was just talking to Nico about astronomy. You wouldn't like it." Of course I wouldn't; I had never liked that subject, but Sasha had been actually very good at it.

" Yeah, I was going to take her to see the stars near the edge of the forest somewhere where the lights don't shine that much," Nico said. like he wasn't crushing my heart with every word he spoke.

" Yeah, Annabeth said that you guys would be staying here for a day or so because your ride doesn't come until the solstice or something," She scrunched her face. It was almost true; the portal to Atlas' prison would open on the day of the solstice. Which was...the day after tomorrow, I believed. Or was it midnight?

" Yeah, cool," I didn't question why she was so nice; she was always nice when there were people around. She was social and nobody believed me when I told them what she was. And Nico would be no exception. My heart throbbed painfully." Annabeth said that I should come talk to you."

" Yeah, I've missed you cuz," She said, dimpling," It's been very boring without you and as soon as you came, you brought two hot guys with you. Things are so interesting when you're here."

I felt a little sick. She meant Nico and Percy. I hoped desperately that she liked Percy better; selfish, I know. She checked her watch.

" Oops, I'm heading to the mall with Sierra. Bye cuz," She swept away, tall and lanky, graceful. As she passed me she whispered," Dibs." And I felt my heart break in half. Dibs was something she said when she liked a boy, to warn me not to freak him away. I stared at her as she passed and she flashed me a grimace.

It felt weird, staying with Nico in the same room. My feet carried me to the living room, where Sasha was giving Percy a flirtatious smile. I could see that Annabeth wasn't too pleased; she glared daggers at Sasha before she diappeared out the door.

" Now, I guess that we just sleep and try to not get discovered until we get to the day of the solstice," Percy said, thinking ahead," So, we can't go outside for too long or else monsters will be after us day and night. So, I don't think any of us should go outside."

" Me and Sasha are star gazing tonight," Nico protested and I jumped. I hadn't heard him come in.

" Well," Percy scratched the back of his head, his face awfully pink," If it's Sasha...I mean, I guess you'll be safe. Just not too late and don't tell her what you are."

" You think I'm stupid?" Nico said, but his grin ruined his cold mask," I wouldn't do that." He raked his hands through his dark hair and went up the stairs, to where I knew one of th guest rooms were. I sat down, feeling awkward and out of place. I stared down at my hands without interest.

" So, where's my aunt?" I asked and my voice cracked slightly. If any of them noticed, they didn't say anything.

" She went to get some things from the gorcery store. I wouldn't be suprised if she didn't come back, actually," Thalia said awkwardly then stretched until she was right next to me." So, why do you look like you just had your heart ripped out?" I twisted, lowering my eyes. It was hard to not feel intimidated by Thalia and it was impossible to lie to her.

" Oh, I don't know," I sighed," It's just...Sasha, once she has her claws sunk on something, she doesn't let it go. I'm worried he's gonna get his heart ripped out, that's all." It happened all the time and Nico would be no exception.

" Oh, then just tell him," Thalia said, shrugging," Before he leaves. Go, now." She pushed me roughly and I scouted away, sighing but started up the stairs. Nico was in the bathroom, frowing at his pale complexion, shaking leaves away from his hair.

" Jaime, what are you doing here?" He asked. His head twisted around so he was partially staring at me. I shifted, suddenly aware of how stupid I would look when I told him to stay away from Sasha. I would even seem jealous.

"Uh...,Good luck on your date," I summed up lamely and stumbled back downstairs, feeling like somebody had just pulled my heart away and ripped it in two. I held myself defiantly, not caring about it.

I didn't care what happened to Nico tonight. Why should I?

I could feel a headache coming on, not a good sign since we had to rescue to the goddess in one or two days. Annabeth appeared at the foot of the stairs, her face unreadable. In her hands were a cup full of juice.

"I thought you might be thirsty," She said, grinning. I was suddenly aware of how raw my throat was and took the cup with trembling fingers. The juice tasted different, but it was oddly addicting.

"Could I have some more?" I asked. Annabeth smiled and I could feel something click between us.

"Sure, I'll be right back with it," She turned and walked away. I dragged myself downstairs and screamed into one of the old pillows.

* * *

_Annabeth P.O.V_

_She knew that this was slimy but she couldn't help it. There was something strange about Jaime that she couldn't get rid of. This was for the best. Annabeth squared her shoulders and headed toward the kitchen, where she poured water into a cup and added the powder that Persephone had given her. The drink hissed angrily and turned golden colored._

_"What are you doing here?" Annabeth spun aroud until she was face to face with Sasha, Jaime's beautiful cousin. Her hair was stormy and long and her eyes were set with satisfation._

_"Getting Jaime something to drink," Annabeth replied then hesitated, "So...do you like Nico?" Sasha giggled and turned red._

_"He's awfully cute, isn't he?" Sasha said, smiling, "I can tell that Jaime likes him too. But I got him before she could." Annabeth nodded, understanding the rivalty going on between the two girls. Suddenly, she was struck with a thought._

_"Do you like Jaime, then?" Annabeth asked sweetly. She watched as Sasha's pretty face blanched and then set in the original expression._

_"Of cours. She and I are like best friends,"Sasha said, grinning. "I couldn't bear it if something were to happen to her, you know? Before she left, she and I use to tell each other everything." Annabeth smiled internally at her dumb lie. It was obvious to her that Sasha resented Jaime._

_"Well, then," Annabeth pretended to hesitate, "She and Nico just go into a huge fight and she doesn't want to see him for the rest of the day. Maybe you could do something to help me?" There was a flash of greed that flashed across Sasha's face._

_"Of course," She agreed, "What can I do to help?"_

_"Can you keep Nico away from the house for a long while?" Annabeth didn't want Nico anywher near Jaime when the effects of the powder settled in. Nico, being a son of Hades, could bring her back or something. Poisoning Jaime once was hard enough. She didn't want to have go go through it a second time. "If Jaime calls asking him to go home...could you keep Nico from coming? We wouldn't want any tempers running high and somebody getting killed, do we?"_

_"No, we don't," Sasha agreed and gave Annabeth a look of surprise, "I like you. You're...smart." She left the kitchen and Annabeth turned back to stirring the dirnk until the powder was dissolved. She wasn't a killer._

_She wasn't._

_She was helping her friends by getting rid of a threat. She told herself that a thousand times before going to the living room and handing Jaime the drink. She thanked her with empty eyes. Jaime drained the drink in one and her eyes seemed to grow even more tired._

_Slowly, without Jaime ever knowing, she was dying. In a few hours, she would be dead._

* * *

**_A/N_**

**_I'm so sorry about the long wait! There was a looong project going on at school that took up most of my time. But I hope you are satisfied with this chapter right now. I don't think that this story will go on for much longer because they're almost done with the Quest._**

**_But after this, would anybody like a sequel? If you do, then please put it in your review because I will not be putting a poll up. Sorry, I'm just way too lazy to do that. _**

**_If you would like a sequel, it will take place during the Last Olympian. If you don't want a sequel, then oh, well. Sorry if Annabeth sounded too evil. I hope I'm not offending any Annabeth lovers. I'll try to update as fast as I can._**

**_Read and Review, please!_**


	21. This Was Not Something I was Expecting

**Thank you, thank you, for all of those lovely reviews. Since the majority of you said that you wanted a sequel, then I will work on one as soon as this one is over with.**

**I do not own Percy Jackson. Never have, never will.**

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It was by far the most awful week ever. In just the span of around one week, I've discovered that my father is Kronos, nearly gotten killed and eaten some really nasty food. The worse thing? Seeing Nico go out hand in hand with my cousin, who shot me a look of supreme confidence.

"Bye," She said brightly. Nico looked at me as though he wanted to say something. I stared at the stain covering the rug to hide my expression. It hurt me to see Nico dressed up so amazingly with my cousin. He had changed into clean black jeans, a black shirt and a leather jacket. It made him look amazing but it was wasted on Sasha who liked her men to wear polos and have a hundred dollars ready to give her.

"Bye, Nico," I said acidly. Saying the next words left a bitter acid taste in my mouth, "Have a good time with Sasha. You two _deserve_ each other." All right, maybe I was being too mean but, for some weird reason, it hurt me to see him with Sasha. He frowned and stared at me with his dark eyes.

'Bye," He said gruffly and left without looking back. Only when he was gone did I sniffle and wipe something from under my eyes. It wasn't fair. Why did Sasha need to like Nico? Why couldn't she develop a crush on Percy instead?

I reached for the cup that Annabeth had just refilled and chugged it down in several quick mouthfuls. My hand was on the arm of the chair and right now, it was shaking. I clutched my hands against my chest. Next to me, Percy coughed slightly.

"Well, this is awkward," Percy said, "I'm going to go…see if there's another dead rat in my bed." Alarmed, Thalia lurched to her feet as well.

"Ugh, you're kidding, right?" She asked. She and Percy took the stairs three at a time, with Clarisse bringing up the rear. Grover started chewing on his shirt.

"You should go," Annabeth said. She seemed to sense that I wanted to stay by myself. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a twenty, which she handed to Grover. "There's an enchilada place a few streets down." His eyes lit up and he stopped chewing on the napkin he had been nibbling on for the past few minutes.

He left and Tyson, somewhat confused, went with him.

"Enchilada? What enchiladas?" He asked, his one calf brown eye shining with curiosity. The door slammed shut and one of the hinges snapped in half. I sighed, placing a hand against my forehead,.

"Hey, are you okay?" Annabeth asked, her brow wrinkling with concern. "You look really pale." I brought a hand to my cheek, clammy with sweat.

"I'm fine," I said but I could tell that she wasn't so sure. Hastily, I changed the topic. "When, exactly, does Atlas's mountain open again?"

"Tomorrow," She said and I stared at her with shock. "Tomorrow at twelve noon. That's why we came here. We were actually a couple hours early but we need all the rest we can against what we have to face."

"Do you mean the Titans that may be waiting for us?" I asked. I stared at her, suddenly seeing the brilliant girl everyone else saw.

"No, I know that they'll be waiting for us," She said darkly, "I meant Luke and the other demigods. We can't kill them like the Titans. But if we don't, they do."

"Luke…," I trailed off as I looked at her face. "Annabeth, have you ever liked Luke?" She looked so surprised, her elbow slipped off and spilled my drink to the ground. It shattered in thousands of little shards on the ground.

"Sorry," She apologized, "I'll get you another drink." She left, a little unsteady, and I stared morosely at the drink spilled on the ground. There was something pressing against my temple, a deep throbbing headache that made me wish I could crack my head open, like Zeus. The headache hurt so much, I swear that I saw a white substance glistening with the liquid pooled on the ground.

Annabeth came back with a new cup, which she pressed into my hand. It was cold and icy. I started lifting it to my mouth but my stomach lurched.

"I don't think that it's such a good idea," I said, handing it back to her, "My stomach can't take much more." Annabeth smiled, but it was brittle.

"Liquids can help calm down your stomach, since you won't take nectar or ambrosia." She pressed it back in my hands and I took a small, shaky sip. At once, my stomach bubbled over.

"Are you ever going to tell me if you like Luke or not?" I asked. I watched as her face turned bright pink..

"I did," She confessed, which surprised me because I was sure that she wouldn't even answer me, "Once upon a time, I did. But now, I don't."

"Yeah, because you like Percy," I said, nodding wisely. She nodded too, then caught her mistake, and swatted me on the arm. I laughed at her and stopped as the headache came roaring back.

"Well, what about you?" She shot back. "I seem to recall you getting all weak kneed around a certain son of Hades."

I tried my best not to look flushed but I could feel the heat rushing to my face.

"Oh, shut up," I muttered as Annabeth laughed, "I don't even know how I feel about him, to be honest."

"Why not?" Annabeth leaned against the arm of the chair, watching intently as I lifted the cup to take another drink. "You two would be perfect for each other." Okay, I know how weird this sounded, me and Annabeth talking about something as simple as boys but it was more difficult for me than facing the dragon. Really.

"He's too good for me," I said bluntly and watched her eyebrows go up in surprise. "You said so yourself, Annabeth. I really am a spawn of Tartarus and Nico deserves better. Besides, he's all soft on Sasha now." I watched Annabeth's face contort in…what, regret?

"I didn't think…," She trailed off, staring at the ground. "Don't put yourself down too much, Jaime. You are a good person." I stared at the ground, wishing it would swallow me whole.

"Okay, different topic," I said and Annabeth grinned in response to my childish outburst, "When I was…gone today, I met up with Luke. But I also met Rowan." I watched Annabeth bite her lip. "Do you know her?" She shrugged.

"Back then, Rowan Cresta was one of our best friends. She came just a year before Percy came to camp, and she was….only a year younger than Luke. Nobody but her knew who her godly parent was, and she refused to tell anyone and was sent to the Hermes cabin. She already had a reputation for being rough and withdrawn, but it didn't take long for Luke to draw her out of her shell. But then…that quest happened…," She trailed off again, drawing a picture on the couch.

"What quest?" I leaned forward. "I thought Luke was the last one to go on a quest?" She nodded.

"Yes and no," She said, "It was….Rowan snuck in to see the Oracle and it gave her a prophecy."

I stared at her without speaking. That wasn't possible, was it? Annabeth seemed to notice my expression and she smiled wryly.

"She didn't go on the quest, did she?" I asked quietly. I took another quick sip to get rid of the acid feeling in my mouth. Annabeth's eyes got cloudy, like she was thinking about some pretty bad memories.

"She did," She whispered, "It was about this dream that she was having about a giant, Chrysaor, who was starting to stir. Her mother wanted her to get rid of him before he full awake and tried to get revenge on the Gods. She took me and Luke with her and…along the way, she almost died before realizing that Chrysaor had been summoned by her father in a desperate attempt to get Hecate back. Rowan had to give him a drink from the river Lethe to get him to forget about his obsession but, in the end, he forgot her as well. She was crushed. She was never the same after that, and the gods seemed to forget about her. That's why she went with Luke so willingly."

"That's horrible," I croaked. I thought back to how I saw Rowan just this morning. With her long black hair and beautiful face, I couldn't see her suffering that much. But she had suffered, much more than I'd known.

"I know," Annabeth glanced down, "I didn't even know she was a daughter of Hecate until she saved me during the quest." I stared at a spot on the couch.

"You won't be able to fight her, will you?" I asked. Wordlessly, she shook her head, twisting her hands.

"She was like a sister to me," Annabeth said glumly, "I can't even think of fighting her."

I stared down at my hands, wishing that there was something I could do to help Annabeth. She was being to sincere about this; I couldn't believe I'd ever thought she was so evil. I reached out and patted her arm awkwardly.

I opened my mouth to say something when the door opened and my aunt walked in. She was the same as I remembered. Her long brown hair was pulled up in a bun with loose tendrils framing her hard face. Her eyes were hazel and slightly unfocused and red rimmed. In her hands was a pack of cigarettes and a bag of groceries.

"You," She turned one of her eyes toward me, "I thought you'd gone for good when you first left here. How come you come'd back?" Her words were so hard to understand because she was slurring them.

"It's just for the night," I said patiently. Standing, I knew, I would be at the ideal place to smack her in the face.

"Best be leavin' soon," She grunted, dropping the bag of groceries on the floor with a heavy thud. "There'd be monsters outside of ma house because of you." My pulse slowed and then sped up.

"Really, they managed to find us?" Annabeth asked. Her voice was grim, like she had been expecting this but didn't like it. My aunt nodded. My heart sped up rapidly.

"Got guns," Auntie grunted and I stared at her. I couldn't process this. It was almost too much to believe.

"Since when do monsters use guns?" I asked Annabeth weakly, even as my stomach did nervous flip flops.

"I don't think that it's monsters," Annabeth said slowly, "I think that there are demigods out there." She cursed under her breath. "I should've seen this coming. Gods, I'm so stupid."

As she spoke, there was something that shattered the window and imbedded itself against the wall. I flinched and stared at the peeling panel of wood.

Auntie cursed and stuck her middle finger out the window.

"What are they doing?" I asked Annabeth. She shook her head, her eyes looking wild.

"They must _really_ not want us to rescue Artemis," She frowned, biting her lip and staring at my aunt. "Why don't you put the groceries away and stay in the kitchen. There are no windows there so they can't get you." Auntie cussed at her too but did as she was told.

"I…I don't feel so good," The anticipation of the upcoming battle became too much for my stomach to bear. My stomach turned over…and suddenly there was a fire licking up the sides of my stomach. I gasped and doubled over, staring at my hands. My vision blurred, distorting the shapes of my fingers into ghastly figures. I screamed and clutched my head, which was ready to break apart.

"Jaime, are you okay?" Annabeth asked. Her voice was bleak and emotionless; she didn't even offer to help me up. I reached a hand out and it slammed against the table before I could reach for my cup.

"I think that I'm dying," I choked, trying to make a joke out of it. Out of the sides of my eyes, I could see figures twisting in the air, reaching for me blindly.

"That wouldn't be a surprise," Annabeth said and I stared at her. Her face pulsed with weird colors but the expression was clear enough to see. "After all, you just drank about six ounces of deadly poison."

"What are you talking about?" My voice sounded off to me, more distant and off. Annabeth's expression contorted into something of pure madness.

"I'm sorry, Jaime," She said sincerely, "But you're too dangerous to have around. Besides, Kronos is trying to lure you to his side and I can't have that. I'm protecting my friends."

"By killing me?" I choked as a sudden choking sensation entered my lungs. "You're crazy, Annabeth!" She looked genuinely hurt.

"No, I'm not," She told me, "Once you're no longer breathing, I'll go tell Thalia and the rest that you died. Nico's not here to save you so…there will be no second chance for you, Jaime." I believed her. I believed that she really would do this. How could I have been so stupid as to think that she could change?

I stared to rise and nearly fell again. I turned and placed my hands around her throat. She sputtered and tried to shake me off, her facing going blue.

"If I'm going down, you're going down with me," I snarled. Her foot connected with my shin and I stumbled and fell. A few more gunshots sounded near the wall. I almost wished that one of them would hit Annabeth in the heart.

At that moment, I got the strangest sensation ever. It was like I could fell somebody stepping over me while I was dying. Weird, right? I spun around, too late, to see the bullet coming toward me. I gasped and blood exploded in front of my face. I glanced down, expecting to see a gaping bullet wound. There was none.

And in front of me, was my aunt. A gaping wound had been blow on her neck, painting her elegant black nails into a red mess. She stared at me, and her expression softened as she fell. I let go of Annabeth and forgot about me for a second. I caught her as she fell, supporting her with my forearms.

"Why?" I whispered. There was a low ringing sound in my ear. "Why did you do it?" Her eyes got misty and she started to twitch in my arms.

"Tell….tell her…Ciara….I….protected….kept me word," She trailed off and stared at something I couldn't see. Her body jerked to the side and didn't move again. Tears stung at my vision. All these years, she'd actually cared about me. Behind me, I heard Annabeth catch her breath. The quiet sound brought back my anger and I lunged at her again.

I fell against something and the next thing I knew, I was staring at Annabeth's shoe. I took a breath and found that I couldn't exhale. I started to panic.

"You…murderer," I gasped and glanced down. Annabeth didn't thaw out as she stared at me. The last thing I saw was her figure headed up the stairs, slowly, waiting for me to die.

* * *

Rowan P.O.V

She didn't know why Luke was pacing back and forth. His loafers were going to burn a hole in the ground if he didn't stop soon. Ethan looked at Luke without any interest.

"Luke," She said, "Why don't you stop? Wearing out the carpet won't help whatever it is you're hoping to do."

He spun around, turning to glare at her with his amazing blue eyes. Rowan had forgotten had mad he could get.

"Something's about to happen," Luke spat, "If anything happens to Jaime, then all of Kronos's plans are going down the drain. One of those demigods should have contacted me by now." Rowan sighed, weaving her fingers together. Ever since Luke had been told to take care of Jamie, she was all he would talk about. Rowan secretly wondered if it would be too bad of somebody slapped her across the face, just once.

"Rowan's shooting sparks from her eyes," Ethan chuckled and Rowan glared at him, flipping him off. It was irritating, being one of the only girl demigods there. She had to endure all of the teasing just to survive long enough to help Luke. And he didn't even care.

"Ethan's rolling his_ e-e-yye_," Rowan shot back, emphasizing the last word. Ethan growled and flipped her off. Luke pinched his nose.

"Enough," He growled at both of them. Rowan felt offended then sad. "In a week's time, Kronos will need my body. We have a week to somehow convince the most irritating girl in the world to come join us." Rowan stared at the floor. In a week, Luke would no longer be Luke.

He would be Kronos. Life wasn't fair.

"It won't take that long," Rowan said. She knew that her voice sounded irritated but there was no help for it. "Just corner her friends and she'll surrender. That's why Kronos gave them that phony prophecy, right?" Luke ground his teeth together and spun around to tell her off. His phone began to ring and he picked it up, still looking annoyed.

"What?" He snapped and his expression changed. His face went bone white and he staggered. "Are you sure?" He croaked, then snapped, "Yeah, I get that you weren't good enough to take her out…that's your problem, not mine…yeah, screw you too." He flipped the phone off.

"What is it?" Rowan asked, although she was sure that she already knew. Luke looked at her.

"Jamie's dead. She was killed just a few minutes ago."

* * *

Nico PO.V

"And that's the Huntress, right over there…," Nico said, pointing to the constellation he was currently describing. Sasha pointed at the wrong one, seeming confused and Nico redirected her hand so it was pointing to the right one,

"Oh. Oops," She said and laughed. Nico looked away, his heart contracting painfully. Sasha looked so much like Jaime, it was almost funny. They had the same red hair and the same face structure.

"Are you sure that you don't want to go back home?" Nico asked her. "We've been out here for a while now."

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Sasha waved a hand then pouted, "Awww, do you want to ditch me? This may be my last time seeing you. I'm not in any hurry to have it end." Nico leaned back against the rock, feeling his stomach flip over. He wished that she would say they could go home so he could confront Jaime about earlier.

Grin and bear it, he though, it's not that bad. And it wasn't. Sasha was seriously cool and seemed to be genuinely interested in astronomy. But she was clingy and was insistent in getting her way. But then again, what girl didn't want to get her way?

Nico raised a hand to point to the sky again and felt something press against the side of his skull. He winced, placing a hand over his temple. Close to him, he could see a ghostly imprint of a human begin to materialize.

That was strange. Normally, ghosts didn't come unless he summoned them. Why was this one here? Did it have a connection with him?

Was it Bianca? He didn't have anything to do the sacrifice with to summon it but then, to his amazement, the ghost began to form by itself.

He felt a moment of pure disappointment: It wasn't his sister. He knew because this ghost had red hair and eyes that were usually bright but were now dulled. She looked at him sadly and opened her mouth to speak but no words came out.

"Is that Jamie?" Sasha gasped. "Why does she look so pale?" Nico knew and he had a good idea why Sasha wanted them to stay out there so long.

"Jamie's dead," Nico spat and glared at Sasha, who cringed on the ground, "And I know you know who did it. So you're going to tell me or…,"

"Or what?" She sneered, "You can't hit a girl."

"No," Nico agreed, "I won't hit a girl. But if I tell Thalia what you did, she'll be more than happy to hit you." Sasha paled. "So, tell me what you know on the way back."

* * *

**Yeah, another update!**

**I'm so excited that so many people are reviewing. You can be expecting a sequel right after the end of this story...which should be in about three to five chapters.**

**Remember to read and review!**


	22. Help From Harmonia and Exposure

**Here's the next chapter. I wouldn't want you all to think that Jaime would be dead for too much longer.**

**I do not own Percy Jackson.**

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**Thalia P.O.V**

There was a noise from downstairs. It was a soft sound, like someone collasping. I frowned and started to get up. Percy and Clarisse were staring out the window.

"I think that there are some people outside," Percy said and turned to stare at me, "They're carrying guns. Is that normal?"

"What? Are you sure?" I pushed past him-a little harder than nessasary, perhaps-and leaned out the window to see what was going on. There was army out there, all carrying shotguns or more dangerous firearms. I leaned back in disgust and cursed.

"They are using guns," I said and then paused, "Do you think that Annabeth and Jaime are okay down there? I don't want to sound like I doubt Annabeth but...they just started seeing eye to eye."

"We should go warn them about the guns anyway," Percy agreed. His eyes mirrored the mistrust in mine. It was unfair but I knew Annabeth and I knew that she wasn't the forgiving type. It didn't feel right leaving her alone with Jaime. Judging from their personalities, I wouldn't be surprised if one of them died. I started for the door and was immediately knocked back by a blond whirlwind.

"Whoa, where's the fire," I caught her by the shoulders and took a good look at her. She had been crying and her face was smudged and bloody. Tears cut tracks down her face and dripped down her face.

"It's...it's Jaime," She choked out. She wiped her face and started sobbing, biting her lip against the hysterics, "She...I couldn't...ohmigods, she's _dead_!" I stared at her, not sure what she had just said.

"Annabeth, that's not funny," I said crossly. It was one thing to joke about stuff like that when she was younger, but it was different now. She shook her head, her hair flying everywhere.

"I'm not kidding," She choked out, "She just collasped a few seconds ago. I don't know what happened. I...there must've been...why didn't I realize...," She shuddered and stopped talking, biting down on her knuckle to stop the sobs. I looked at Percy who looked as stunned as I was. We turned at the same second and went downstairs, nearly trampling each other.

There was blood pooling against the door and my heart nearly jumped out of my chest before I realized that it wasn't Jaime's blood. It was her aunt, who was lying face down on the ground. A scarlet pool of blood surrounded her. I looked away, glancing at the red headed figure at my feet.

I skittered back when I realized that i was stepping on Jaime's head. Gently, I knelt and turned her over. Her face was blank, and her eyes were vacant and staring. Glassy. I grabbed her hand and squeezed it, trying to find a pulse. I found none.

I swallowed and dropped her hand.

"She's dead," I said. Percy's face drained of blood and he looked nearly as bad as Jaime looked. I stumbled a bit and sat on the stairs.

"What happened?" I asked slowly. Clarisse's face turned pale but she approached Jamie's stiff body and prodded her on the back. Annabeth took a heaving breath behind me. I spun quickly and hugged her because her face was so pale that I thought she might collaspe as well.

"She...no wound...I don't," She choked out and wiped her eyes. With her hair wild and her eyes bloodshot, she still looked like that little girl that I'd befriended a few years ago.

"There's no bruise," Clarisse said and my head snapped out. What was she saying? She continued, "Usually, if somebody does, then they have a bruise under their skin or a bump or another indiction about where they've been hit."

"So, what are you saying?" Percy asked slowly. "Does that mean that she's alive?" My stomach tightened into knots at what that meant. But it was impossible...Jaime wouldn't accept anything from strangers. But...

"It means," I said, and my voice was thick, "That she was poisoned, Percy. Poison doesn't have any physical marks that shows that it's there but it's...still a really bad way to die."

"Impossible," Annabeth echoed my thoughts, "Jaime wouldn't be so stupid as to accept anything something from a stranger."

"Maybe she met somebody on her way here-," I said at the same time Percy said, "Luke. It could be Luke." Annabeth stared at him for a second before anger blazed behind her eyes. She lunged forward and smacked him in the face.

"Don't you even think about blaming this on Luke," She spat, and her face was very red now, "It isn't his fault that Jaime chose to be a little bitch and eat something without checking what it was! You just want to believe that, don't you?" Percy stared at Annabeth like she'd just sprouted a third hand.

"I was just saying that Luke could have done it," Percy said, "Maybe her arm didn't heal completely from where his sword cut her and maybe it was poisoned. I didn't mean anything by it, Annabeth. Don't take it personally." She blushed and stared at the ground, examining her sandles.

"No, I don't think so," I said, "It doesn't seem like Luke's style. He's...honorable enough to not poison his enemy. Only someone cowardly with nothing to lose would do this." I watched Annabeth flinch and she sat down, holding her head in her hands.

"She's gone," She said, choking, "She's gone...gods, what have I done...what have I done? Why couldn't I like her? She's-she's," She broke down crying, holding her head. Percy sat down next to her and wrapped his arm around her awkwardly. She sobbed into his shirt while Clarisse snorted and left the room, seeming annoyed about something.

"My gods," I said softly, suddenly realizing something, "What about Nico? He...he might be able to help us bring her back." I saw Annabeth's back stiffen as though she couldn't bring hersel to think about that.

"I don't think that he can," Annabeth said, her face buried in Percy's shirt, "Even if he is the son of Hades, he has certain restrictions like not being able to bring people back to life. That power belongs to the God of Death."

"And Hades wouldn't be too thrilled about having to help us," I summarized. My stomach clenched at the thought. So Jaime would be dead...because of this quest.

This was unfair! The Gods would have known that this would happen yet they let it happen anyway. Even Hestia wouldn't tell us. I couldn't bring myself to look at Jaime. I feared that I would throw up.

"What about Nico?" Percy asked. "Someone needs to tell him about Jaime. I vote that it not be me."

"Wimp," I snarled at him but I didn't want to do it either. There was something about Nico that made me not want to tell him any bad news. I didn't want to end up dead either.

"He's on his date with Sasha," Annabeth's voice said, "I doubt that he'd be pleased if we interrupt them." I agreed but it made me feel helpless. That was the last thing that I could offer Jaime: to have her know that all of her friends were here in death. But I couldn't do that.

"Poor Jaime...," I said sadly and knelt down and hovered my finger so it almost brushed her neck. I wanted to move her hair away from her face but I couldn't bring myself to touch her. Ashamed, I lowered my hand and stood back up. I glanced outside, where the darkness was turning light and I could almost feel the sun moving to creep along the horizon.

"In a few hours, then we'll have to go to the portal or else we won't be able to make it to Atlas's mountain," Percy said, "I don't think that we have time to bury Jaime." Bury Jaime. Thinking about that made me feel like I'd personally killed her.

"We have to," I snapped, "She risked her life coming to help us on this quest even though the gods were against her and would do anything to kill her. I believe that this is another one of their plans and that whoever they're using as a pawn is less then dirt. And so help me, Percy, if you're too chicken to at least give her the burial that she deserves, then I will come over there and kick you right in the-"

"I get it," Percy said, his face paling, "I'll help! It's the least I can do." He frowned and stared at the door. "Hey, do you guys feel a gust of wind?" I was about to yell at him not to get off topic but then I froze as a cold blast of air assaulted my face. A figure stumbled into existance, his hair windblown and his expression horrified.

"Nico?" I asked. Sasha tugged her hand free from Nico's grasp, her face pale. She started stumbling away from him but he caught her wrist again, his expression almost savage. "Nico, what are you doing here?"

"Jaime's ghost found me," He said and his voice was cold and bleak, "Apparently, that would be the last time I would see her. Sasha, I think, has something to do with this."

"Me?" Sasha's eyes widened, "I didn't do this. It was-," Annabeth ripped her hand free from Nico's grasp and slapped her across the face so hard that Sasha hit the ground, her hand flying to her cheek. There was a red mark there and nail marks.

"You bitch," Annabeth snarled, her eyes filling with tears, "I knew that you didn't like Jaime, but did you have to kill her? Was it because Nico liked her more than you?" Her hand raised to slap her again.

"It wasn't me," Sasha said again then she amended, "Okay, so I was part of it but I wasn't the one of feed her poison!" I froze, staring at her,

"Then, how did you know that it was poison that killed her?" I demanded. Her face crumpled and Annabeth's hand came down again. Sasha's eye rolled back in her head and she fell.

"Um," Said Percy lightly, "That wasn't the smartest thing to do, considering that it won't do us any good."

"But I feel better," Annabeth said sullenly. I couldn't help a small smile from coming to my face. Then, I sobered when I remembered exactly why Annabeth had punched Sasha in the face.

"It doesn't matter," I said, tired, "Nothing will help Jaime. She's dead. No matter what we do, she won't come back to life." Nico seemed to grow older as the words left my mouth, and his eyes turned darker. I wished that I could help him, but I couldn't bring myself to reach out to comfort him.

"Yeah," He said, sighing. His hair rumpled when he did it and it made him seem...vulnerable, "Even if I did ask father to bring her back, he wouldn't because her death wouldn't be counted on as 'heroic' or 'an intervention of fate' or something like that."

"So Hades can bring her back?" I clarified, "If she died in a way that she wasn't supposed to until somebody intervened or she died trying to save somebody?"

"Or if dad's in a good mood," Nico agreed, "But there's nothing noticable about poisoning. It happens all the time. It's not worth the effort because all dad would do is say that she's died to keep Kronos from winning." I agreed silently but couldn't bring myself to say anything. I slumped down on the couch which sank beneath my weight. Percy frowned, and knelt at Jaime's side.

His hand hovered just a few feet above her and then, he touched her mouth and then quickly recoiled as something glistened against his palm. I leaned forward because what glistened in his hands wasn't blood...it was something that smelled flowery and like...

"Pomegranates," Nico said, frowning, "That isn't what I was expecting blood to smell like."

"Isn't blood supposed to be red?" I added. "And a liquid?" Nico frowned even deeper while Percy scratched his head.

"I keep thinking that we're missing something," Said Percy and he was interupted by a voice that said, "Oh, I was _hoping_ that you were smarter than that." The air behind me shimmered and a young girl around the age of fifteen sat behind me, smiling and twirling a flower between her nimble fingers.

Her hair was honey blond, and braided down one shoulder with intrigue pieces of gold and rubies and sleek white diamonds. Her face was round and kind, and her large eyes were purple, surrounded by thick lashes and cream skin and a soft red mouth that seemed fixed in a soft smile. She wore the traditional _chiton _but it was covered in pink and black. A weird gothic barbie, maybe.

I don't know. I've seen a lot of crazy things. But the air around her was still shimmering, and there was a sense of peace inside me for the fist time in a while. Obviously, this girl was a goddess.

"Hello, Thalia Grace," She said, speaking to me first and I flinched. I didn't want to deal with goddesses right now. Not when my friend had just been murdered. "It's nice to see you again; the first time we met, you were so small!"

"Who are you?" I asked her. She blinked and her face turned slightly sad.

"It doesn't matter right now," She said, waving a hand. She stuck the flower behind her ear, where it turned gold and was studded with diamonds and rubies. "All that matters is that I'm not here to try to stop you."

"Then, why did you come here?" Nico asked, eying her with distrust.

"To talk," She said and spread her fingers out until a picnic unfolded before me. Food appeared in golden platters and peace signs...weird, but okay and the food was deliciou: bacon and eggs, orange juice, toast, and a tin of nuts that had been cut in half and smeared with spices and ambrosia. "I admit that the last one isn't techically breakfast, but it's good nevertheless," The goddess said.

I helped myself to a bit of everything, including the nuts which turned out to be spicy and sweet at the same time. The extra kick of ambrosia strengthened me enough to steel myself for whatever the goddess wanted. After I'd polished off my second place, (the food kept replenishing itself), I was ready to talk.

"So, who are you?" I asked again, though not as hostile this time, "I've never met you before in my life." She smiled sadly and nibbled on the nuts. Little crumbs fell on the ground, where they grew wings and fluttered away into the sky. Okay...weird.

"Don't you remember?" She asked. "When you and Luke and Annabeth were hiding behind the dumpster being surrounded by monsters, you asked for help. But you didn't want to kill those monsters because Annabeth was injured and you wanted to get out of there peacefully as long as you could save her so you asked for the goddess of...,"

"I remember you now," I said firmly, "You're Harmonia, aren't you?" Her dazzling smile told me that I was correct. "So, what do you want?"

"It's not what I want, but what my mother wants," Harmonia said and pouted slightly, "Aphrodite doesn't like where this is headed, and frankly, neither do I. Things are getting way too violent with friends turning on one another and betrayals and deaths...why can't you sign a treaty or shake hands or something?" She shook her head and said, "But that's not why I'm here. There is a way to get your friend back. If you are willing to go to the underworld, that is."

"We are not waiting for her to go to Elysium," Nico said angrily but the goddess shook her head.

"If you can prove your loyalty to Jaime, Hades just might let you venture into the underworld and try to get her soul back out. If you succeed, he'll let her go. If you don't, then he'll take your soul as well." I didn't bat an eye.

"But, Jaime didn't die in a weird way. She was poisoned," I said.

"She was poisoned by a goddess," Harmonia said and I froze. Sure, I'd said that idea out loud myself a few minutes ago but I never would've thought that a goddess could intervene so directly into fate. What goddess would want Jaime out of the way so much? "I know what you're thinking but it wasn't Hera or Athena," Harmonia said, "It was somebody else. And since she interfered in a quest, as stated by the gods themselves to keep any demigod from being taken out unfairly during a quest, she has twelve hours to make it back out to the land of the living."

"Just like that?" Nico said and his voice was strained, "Just like that, she would be able to leave."

"Just like that," Harmonia agreed, "But only if she returns willingly."

"Of course she will," Percy scoffed, "We're her friends."

"Are you sure?" Harmonia raised one of her eyebrows. "Did you not abandon her when you found out she was a Titan demigod? Did you not chase her away from your group? Did you not scorn her and humiliate her and cause her to run several times?" Percy dropped his gaze, ashamed. I glared at the goddess, wanting to tell her that she'd gone too far but she wasn't looking at me. Softly, she said, "The influence of Elysium is a powerful thing, if that is indeed where she is headed. And if what she has there is paradise, then she may not want to return. And then you will have wasted your time for nothing."

"What do you mean? We have plently of time," I argued, but she shook her head.

"In exactly six hours, the solstice will begin," The goddess said, "If you chose to get Jaime, you lose Artemis. If you get Artemis, then you lose Jaime forever."

"That's hardly fair," Percy said and Harmonia shrugged.

"Of course it's not. Nothing is fair. But do you want to know what's the least fair thing of all?" Suddenly, she looked dangerous, "It's not fair to stab your friend in the back after she's been through hell and back, correct? It's cowardly to poison your friend just because you're dangerous and take somebody's life because you fear that they're better than you. Killing someone without them knowing and then having the nerve to act innocent is cowardly and low and selfish, dont' you agree, Annabeth?"

"Y-Yes," Annabeth's lips were blue and she was sweating, "That's low and cowardly. What type of a person would do something like that."

"Indeed, what type of person would do something like that? Someone who has very low self esteem and needs to get rid of somebody to make themself feel better. I'll be leaving you now, of course. Think about your decisions quickly, children. I'm afraid Jaime doesn't have long." With a glow, she vanished. The silence she left behind was unbearable.

"So, what do we do?" Nico asked. Annabeth looked at him like that was the dumbest thing she'd ever heard.

"What do we do?" She sputtered. "We save Artemis, of course!" She had thawed out since the goddess had left and she seemed genuinely concerned about Jaime but there was a determined glint in her eyes again.

"Jaime's my first priority," Nico said in a low voice, "The gods can lose this war for all I care right now-if it wasn't for their neglet, then we wouldn't have to do this."

"But Nico," Annabeth's voice cracked and she said quietly, "You can't go alone. You would be ambushed and there's no garantee that you could protect Jaime and yourself. It's dangerous down there." She sounded so broken up that I didn't want to say what I was thinking but I had to.

"I'll go with him," I said, surprising everybody including me, "It's the least that I can do for her. And if we don't manage to bring her back," I shrugged, "Well, then we failed and there's nothing that we can do about it."

"Thalia...," Annabeth looked shooked, scared and betrayed, "You...would choose Jaime over me?" I stared at her in confusion. What did this have to do about me liking Jaime over her?

"That has nothing to do with this," I told her, "But I am going with Nico to save Jaime and that's final. You and Percy and Clarisse go to save the goddess if we aren't back by then." Annabeth's jaw set but she nodded. I pushed past her to get packed, determined to save my friend.

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_Annabeth P.O.V_

_Her hands moved in jerky movements as she struggled to zip up her duffle bag. This was perfect, just perfect. Why was everybody acting like she was the evil person in this? She wasn't! They just didn't know that Jaime was dangerous because she had them twisted around her little finger._

_With a frusterated growl, she managed to zip up the duffle bag and pushed a strand of blond hair away from her forehead. With a sudden gasp, she spun around to stare at Clarisse's dark eyes._

_"I know that it was you who did it," Clarisse growled. Annabeth wasn't scared of her at all; she was afraid of what Percy would think of her if he found out. No...how did Clarisse know? She'd been so careful..._

_"I don't know what you're talking about," Annabeth lied easily. Clarisse snorted, shouldering her way into the room._

_"I am the daughter of the god of war. I know godly poison when I see it and I know that it was you because you left a strand of hair around her neck," Clarisse stepped forward again until she was towering over Annabeth, "And I swear, princess, that if Nico and Thalia fail to bring her back, then everybody will know exactly what happened to Jaime."_

_"Why not if she comes back to life?' Annabeth challenged, "If you are so sure that I did it then why not tell Jaime?"_

_"Because it would be her call if she wanted to call you out if she comes back alive," Clarisse said, shrugging, "Without her here, you and I are the only ones who know what happened. But if for some reason, they fail to bring her back, everybody will know. I swear upon the river Styx." Clarisse left with those words, leaving Annabeth shaken._

_Why had everything gotten out of hand?_

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_**Author's Note:**_

_**Warriorcatshadowscar: Hey Annabeth, I have a surprise for you!**_

_**Annabeth: You don't fool me. I know that you want to strangle me. **_

_**Warriorcatshadowscar: Yup! (Begins chasing Annabeth around while Annabeth screams. Catches her and starts talking so much, Annabeth passes out from pain)**_

_**...Read and review?**_


	23. One Final Truth and Choice

Hello! it's been a while since I've updated but I'm updating now! Than you for all the comments; I loved them! But, without further rambling on my part, here is the next chapter!

I do not own Percy Jackson.

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_Jaime P.O.V_

_It was so cold and I was so confused. What was going on? Wasn't it just a minute ago when I was appearing in front of Nico, watching his face contort with something close to fear? Then there had been a sucking sound that pulled me down, down..._

_And, now I was lost in the dark._

_For a while, I was just floating in darkness before it seperated into two things. One of them was a river, moving in a dark pattern beneath me. The other was an old boat with an even older man on it. My feet touched the ground soundlessly, and I gaped at the wide river in front of me. The man continued to stare at me, waiting for me to move._

_"You gonna get on or what?" He grunted and I snapped out of my trance. _

_"Uh," I didn't know how to respond, "Where is this boat going?" I asked, hoping that I sounded polite rather than disgusted. The man snorted and poked at his hat with a gruesome skeletal hand. I stiffened a scream._

_"To Hades, that's where! This is the river to all eternity and I'm Charon," He laughed, a loud sound that made my teeth grind together. "Oh, don't tell me that you didn't know you were dead, girlie. They've said that all before." I stared down at my hands, which were see through. Panic gripped at the inside of my body._

_"No," I croaked, "No, I'm not dead. That's impossible. I'm alive...this-this isn't possible." Frantic, I turned around to grip at a smooth stone sittting at the bank. My hand passed through harmlessly. Tears swam in my vision. It was true._

_"Mmmm, I guess that you really didn't know," Charon mused, "But my job is to cart you across so...it don't bother me!" I began to cry. Wasn't it bad enough that I was dead, but now I remembered who had killed me in the first place. Instead of being mad, I was sad._

_Did she hate me that much? My lip trembled and I sniffled._

_"Aw, don't cry kid," Charon's smile faltered, "It won't cost you that much. But if you don't have it...well, then you ain't my...," He stopped and stared at something behind me in horror. Shocked, I spun around as well. There was a man behind me, literally stepping out of the shadows._

_He had extremely pale skin, so pale that it was the same color of falling snow and dark hair like the darkness of the night without all the stars. His eyes were emotionless, cold, calculating. He was tall, around seven feet tall and a ghastly crown was placed upon his head, twisting every few seconds. I knew who this was, without anyone telling me anything._

_"L-l-lord Hades," Charon had gone red. People generally went white with fright, but he went red. Right...that was an image that I was never going to unsee for the rest of my dead life, "W-w-w-h-hat ar-are y-you d-doing here?" He bowed low, gnawing on his bony finger. "Are you here about my raise, perhaps?"_

_"No, I'm not here about your raise," Hades snapped, "I'm here to talk to the annoying child of Kronos who couldn't keep herself from being poisoned." His eyes narrowed at me as I tried unsuccessfully not to stare, "Yes, I'm talking to you."_

_"I...I didn't do anything!" I blurted out, my automatic reaction whenever an adult was looking at me like that. He stared at me like I was stupid then jerked his head, indictating that I should follow him. He turned before I even had a change to think about what he was saying and I tripped over my feet trying to catch up to him. I knew that I shouldn't trust him but I had to because he was the father of...of..._

_Panic gripped at the inside of my unbeating heart. Why couldn't I remember them? Why couldn't I remember anyone? Memories swam in front of me; I could see their faces in front of me but not their names or voices. _

_Come to think of it, who was I?_

_I was...And I was born...and my best friend was..._

_Nico. My best friend was Nico. But who was Nico? I couldn't draw out his face at all. I swallowed the lump in my chest, staring down at my feet._

_"Yes, you are starting to forget your human life," Hades said like he was talking about the weather. "The closer you get to the heart of the underworld, the more you will lose. Tell me, what do you remember now?" He held out his hand and I was left with no choice but to take it. The world spun sickening around me and when we stopped, I leaned over, hoping that I couldn't throw up._

_That was as annoying as Nico. Nico..._

_He was the only face I could picture right now. His name was the only one that I knew, because I didn't even know my own name. But I could picture his black hair and sad eyes as clearly as though he were right next to me._

_"Nico," I said, and was surprised when my voice trembled, "I only remember Nico." I glanced around, surprised by where I was. It looked like a throne room, with two large ornate thrones, one made out of flowers. Hades sat on a taller one, and three...weird spirt things settled against him._

_"Not even your name? Not even a little bit?" Hades asked, seeming interested despite himself. "Yet, you remember my son. Why is that?" I stared at the ground, feeling like I was being judged._

_"No, I only remember Nico," I said again. I hung onto the memory of him, even though it hurt me to hold onto it. It was kind of like trying to hang onto an electric eel but for some reason, I couldn't let the memory of him go._

_"And why is that?" He asked me._

_"I don't know." I said again. Hades stared at me with eyes that reminded me of a bottomless pit. I eyed the throne next to his, just to forget about whatever it was that he wanted from me. The smell of flowers lingered there, which was surprising because it was the middle of winter. "Why is...,"_

_"The war," Hades huffed, sounding annoyed and sulky, "It's too dangerous for Persephone and her mother to be on earth-not that the annoying woman appreciates anything I do for her, anyway." I had a feeling that he wasn't talking about Persephone and felt timid in the presense of him. Deeply brooding, he didn't seem to see me shift uncomfortably._

_"Um, sir?" I asked quietly and his head snapped toward me, making me cringe back. "Not to sound ungrateful or anything but, ah, was there a reason that you saved me?" I watched as his eyes narrowed and wondered if it was the wrong thing to ask._

_"I didn't save you," He said, and I watched his lips peel back in grim amusement. Shivers ran down my spine at the look, "I came to offer you a choice, something that I usually never do but this is a...ah, special case."_

_"What choice?" I asked quietly. There was something unsettling about him, but I wasn't scared of him like I was of some people. There was something about him that made me want to trust him, whether it was smart or not._

_"See, your parentage had you destined for Tartarus, but the things that you did in your life means that you would be happily accepted in Elysium. And your friends...knowing Nico, that annoying little pest, they're coming to get you," Hades sucked in a deep breath like he had a headache, "Which gives us a problem." I stared at him, not knowing what to say._

_"And...and what's the problem?" I asked, only to get out of the loud silence that rang out in my ears. He glanced at me with cold fire in his eyes. I took a step back and nearly stepped on a black shadow coiled near the back._

_"Your fate hasn't been decided; you weren't meant to die this soon," He told me. His eyes shifted slightly and his gestured behind him. As his hands waved, I saw a black spiral coming out of thin air, forming a circular shape that lifted a few inches off the ground. Pictures swirled within, pictures that seemed to be in my head because it looked white._

_"What...what is that?" I asked quietly._

_"Your future, as it was supposed to be," He told me and his face softened slightly, as though he felt bad for me. "Take a good long look because you'll never have this life." I wasn't even listening to him anymore as my feet carried me a few feet forward until I was face to face with the mirror. Pictures swirled within..._

_...And I saw me._

_Or, at least, I think it was me. I was tall and my hair was long, unbound down to the middle of my back. My flat face had turned heart shaped, and the bridge of my nose had finally managed to catch up so it wasn't freakishly small. And I was smiling, holding something in my hands, but I couldn't see what it was. For a second, I was distracted by the woman in the mirror. Who was she? She couldn't be me because the way that she cocked her head, the slight curve of her lips and the slender,willow body belonged to my mother. And she wasn't alive._

_I started to cry because I couldn't understand what this was supposed to mean to me until I saw something glistening on my hand. I leaned forward so that my forehead nearly touched the edge of the mirror. There was a diamond ring on my hand; and it was obviously an engagement ring._

_"I love you," Somebody said, somebody with a deep voice and a toned body. The 'me' of the future turned, looking at him with so much tenderness that I teared up some more. _

_And then the screen went black._

_"Turn it back on," I said, and I realized that I was shaking. "Turn it back on."_

_"I can't; because the longer that you remain here, the less your earthly attachments are," Hades said, "And like I've already explained, you can't have that future, even if your friends do come to rescue you."_

_"Why not?" I challenged. It made me mad to think that he was so naive as to believe that my friends could forget me, even though I remembered none of them._

_"Because you were born here," Hades said, "And the earth gave you back. You don't get a second chance because you are home now." I froze, staring at him with a thunderstruck expression. What did he mean, I was born here? Nothing could be born here; this place was for the dead, wasn't it?_

_"What...what are you talking about?" I demanded._

_"I mean that your mother met your father here, in the Underworld," Hades said quietly, obviously not caring that I remembered none of this, "Your mother was around nineteen or twenty at the time, and had just come here looking for her friend, to take him back, she said. Poor girl strayed too far and peered into Tartarus. As smart as she was, her curiousity got the better of her and she found herself drawn to a mysterious voice in the abyss. She fell in love; and because she had something of the underworld born inside of her, she could never leave. And when you were born, you...,"_

_"Let me guess; I caused her to die," I said and my voice was stiff. Why did nobody tell me this. Didn't I have a right to know this before I came here, to the place where I'd been born?_

_"No, you were born dead," Hades said and my stomach turned in on itself as the world spun around me slowly, "You were born dead and not breathing and pale. Your mother was devestated, and she refused to believe that you had been born dead. She was living here, in my palace because she was not dead yet she could not return to the overworld. She made the choice to go to Kronos again, to beg him to save you."_

_"He didn't want to, of course," He continued, not seeing my expression, "But your mother insisted. Finally, he retaliated and said that he would save your life in exchange for hers. He couldn't kill her, of course, because her needed her soul to put in for the baby. He had Hecate do it-nasty goddess, that girl is. And once your mother had died, and her blood drained into Tartarus, you were thrown into Tartarus, where__you slumbered for many years."_

_"How long? Because it couldn't be that long because I was never gone from my auntie's house," I said and fumbled to a stop when he gave me a glare. "No...," I whispered and sank to my knees. Why, why now?_

_"You slept for a century, give or take. During that time, the Big Three-that is to say me and Zeus and Poseidon-made the Pact that we would not have any more children. When Kronos began to stir, he knew that he would need you. He had Luke carry you to your aunt's house...or at least the woman that you've come to call her. During Tartarus, you aged very slowly, so when you returned to the earh, you only looked around ten or elevn. Luke planted fake memories into your head, and did the same for the people he placed you with, in hope that you would one day aid in Kronos's raise."_

_"But...but, that makes no sense," I objected weakly, "What does that have to do with why I can't leave this place?"_

_"It's the same reason why Persephone can't leave this place for too long: because you had something that belongs to the Underworld and you can't leave once you have it. In her case, it was only consumed. In your case, it's in you...it's the very thing that keeps you alive: Your mother's soul. And that is irreversible. Death has left you alone while you were on earth, but now that you are here, you can never leave. You shall spend the rset of eternity in the pits of Tartarus, or the goldne gates of Elysium. That is your destiny now."_

_"NO," I said weakly, sinking to my knees, "That wasn't possible-that can't, not-I promised that I would help with the quest. I can't be trapped here; I can't. Please, there has to be another way." I was really crying now, in front of this guy who would have no problem killing me. But I coudln't help it. There was too much informationi for me to gather from what he had just told me._

_"No other way," He said flatly, "And now...your choice? Would you go to Tartarus or would you like to go to Elysium? That is really your choice because of events that have happened."_

_"No, please, just let me wait for them here; I know that they'll come; please," Even as I was begging, I knew that there was no hope. Hades gave me a look that held no warmth, no sympathy, nothing._

_"You will choose or I will do it for you," He stated slowly. He began to pick, very slowly, at his nails, as though he didn't care what I choice._

_"Wait, one question," I said playing for time. I couldn't decide right now. Was I evil enough for Tartarus? Was I good enough for Eylsium? "You mentioned that you guys made the pact while I was slumbering. Did it-did it have something to do with my mother?"_

_"Yes, it did," He said slowly, "Just a small part, but it was what made Zeus decide to keep his word and what motivated him to keep the pact for as long as he could."_

_"But...why?" I asked softly. Hades gave me an exasperated glance._

_"Are you that stupid? She was a demigod, a daughter of Zeus." No...way...that just wasn't possible. That couldn't be possible because she had to be a mortal, otherwise that meant that Zeus was my grandfather._

_Ew._

_More information that I had no use for. But Hades was now giving me a look that told me that he would send me packing if I didn't choose quickly. But I couldn't. Shock and anger rooted me on the spot. I was a bad person; I was made to overthrow the gods. Everything Annabeth told me was the truth because she was right as usual, and I was wrong._

_I deserved to be punished for eternity._

_"I choose Tartarus," I whispered and a single tear fell down on my palm. I struggled to hold the others in but slowly, they were escaping._

_"What? Why? You have a chance at Elysium; what would possess you to give it up?" Hades asked, genuinely curious now._

_"I deserve it," I choked out, "All this...it's my fault. It was probably because of me that Kronos started rising in the first place. It's-it's the only place where I can be where I won't mess anything up." Hades gave me a level look. Around me, darkness swirled, nipping at my ankles and wrapping around me like a thick blanket._

_"I'm sorry to hear that," Hades said as the darkness started to consume my head. It hurt slightly and it smelled strongly like a hospital but I didn't struggle. I deserved this. "You could've been a legend, Jaime; I'm sorry that this had to be your choice. I turly hope you know what you're doing." _

_Jaime._

_Jaime._

_I had that small information to cling on to now. My name. A small shred of my identity that was ripped all around me. I clung to it tightly and closed my eyes. And then...darkness._

**_I'm sorry, Nico. But this was for the best._**

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A/N: I almost cried writing this chapter. I'm sorry for the extremely long wait but aren't you glad that I updated before christmas? The next one should be out before New Year.

Please read and review and tell me what you think.


	24. Thalia's Theories and Land of the Dead

New chapter! I'm so sad because it's almost the end. But after this, you can look forward to a sequel. Now, on with the story!

I do not own Percy Jackson in any way.

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Nico had a sinking feeling that something bad was going to happen. Even before he took a step out the door, he could tell that something was wrong. It made him frown, perplexed, until Thalia jabbed him on the side.

"We won't be able to get Jaime if you don't move your butt," Thalia grouched, slung her bookbag up her arm and walked away without another word. Great. That was another reason that Nico was in a rather bad mood. He would have to journey to the underworld with a Hunter-the same hunter who had been with his sister when she had died-and that was almost garanteed to make things even more awkward. Plus, Thalia wasn't much of a talker so it was going to be a very long journey.

He hoped that it would be worth it in the end, though, when he rescued Jaime. It was the only thing that kept him going.

They traveled in silene, broken only be the occasional grunt of pain or sigh of exasperation. By the fifth hour, Nico felt like a ticking time bomb. Never in his life had he thought that going on a question could be so boring or so stiff. Thalia obviously didn't like being in the presence of a boy; he didn't like traveling with a hunter no matter who she was.

The painful member of his sister's dead body came back to haunt him. Around them, the streets thinned out as they got to the end of town. He couldn't believe how many miles they'd managed to cover; despite his deep hatred towards Hunters, he silently thanked Thalia for keeping pace. Relutantly, she turned to face him.

"We need to get something to eat," She announced. He stared at her like she'd grown a third eye and she met his gaze unflinchingly, "So what, I'm hungry. I don't care if it's the middle of the night or if it's raining blood. I'm hungry and I want food." There was a feral glare in her eyes that made him pause then nodded his assent.

"We don't have that long," He pressed, following her to the fast food place that she'd chosen. She ignored him, soldering her bag and her silver arrows. Nobody looked at them funny as they walked through the door.

"I know that; I just feel like there's something we're missing and we need to figure somethings out before we rush to the Underworld to rescue her." Thalia shrugged, sending ripples down her back. Lowering her voice, she added, "Plus, I felt like I could sense someone back there. I have the strangest feeling that we're being followed."

Nico had the feeling too, though he wouldn't admit it. He glanced behind him once, as a precaution, but saw nothing through the plain glass door except for his own pale reflection. Hands stuffed deep in his pockets, he followed Thalia to where she chose to sit. She didn't order anything, and the waitress didn't bother coming toward them to take their order. Thalia's hands slipped into her pockets and she leaned back, eyes closed as though she was exhausted.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Nico finally asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence. Things weren't as natural as it was between him and Jaime. Thalia just gave him a glare and stared out the window, biting her lips in a pensive way. Nico slouched down, wondering if he could just ditch her and go off on his own.

"It doesn't make any sense," Thalia said at last, her brows creasing in the middle. "A Goddess can't interfere so directly between demigods. So, the Goddess must've had a helper...either a demigod or a human. Which meant that any one of us could've killed Jaime."

"Why didn't you say something like this at the house?" Nico demanded, wondering how much trouble he would get in for punching a girl. The thought had never occured to him before but now it was an overwhelming desire.

"Because Percy, Sasha, Clarrisse and Annabeth are all suspects," Thalia replied grimly. Nico closed his mouth and opened it once more, only to close it even more rapidly.

"Explain," He said and watched as her expression darkened at his tone. He knew tht Hunters, Thalia in particular, didn't like being corrected. It gave him idle amusement to be able to tease her about something as normal as this after suffering from a loss.

"I don't think you would kill Jaime because you're in love with her," Thalia said, chosing to ignore the set of puckered lips set on his face and the look he had that stated he would argue with her, "And I wouldn't kill her because I'm not a killer."

Nico's lips twitched at her last statement, partly because he had other thoughts to contradict it and also because he knew Artemis would never stand for one of her Hunters killing a human girl. Thalia would be burned if she had. Thalia glared at him, and he glanced down immediately.

"So, what about the others?" He asked in a hurry, though the faint look of amusement failed to come off his face. Thalia pretended not to notice, though she growled at him under her breath.

"To be honest, if I said this to their face, they would think I was their enemy. You know Clarisse never really liked anybody and she is the Daughter of Ares, so she had motives: Ares could've made her do it or she could've gotten bored of her."

"But Clarisse was never alone with her," Nico pointed out unwillingly, "Plus, she was genuinely shocked Jaime was dead. She doesn't seem like the type to poison somebody."

"Yeah, she would fight them and stab them to death. Much more honorable," Thalia snorted, "Okay, she's out. I don't really think Percy could do that. He can't even bring himself to kill Luke. He has nothing against Jaime-except that she's a better fighter than he is but that's petty jealousy at best."

"What about Annabeth?" Nico suggested. "You have to admit that they weren't exactly the best of friends." Thalia sucked in a deep breath that had her choking for a while afterward.

"No, Annabeth may seem like she's capable to killing ruthlessly, but she has a bigger heart than Percy does. She's sensitive; something like this is beneath her."

"That's not the impression I got when she nearly punched Jaime all those times," Nico muttered sullenly.

"Then you obviously don't know her like I do,"Thalia snapped. Then, she huffed out a deep breath and inhaled deeply. "I've known her since she was a little kid; she wouldn't do something like that. She doesn't have the ruthlessness to do that."

"Doesn't matter," Nico said gruffly. The memory of Jaime's tortured expression would haunt him for the rest of his life if he didn't do anything to help her. It was a punch in the gut as he thought back to what had been the last thing she'd said to him before she'd died.

His hands trembled against his leg and he sat on it so Thalia didn't have anything to use against him. She raised her eyebrows, and then smirked in her annoying way. A light glistened in her blue eyes.

"Ah, I knew that you liked her," Thalia said and the air sucked out of Nico's throat. Thalia regarded him coolly and continued slowly, "It was obvious to everyone but the two of you. So, am I right or am I wrong for a chance?"

Nico opened his mouth to tell her that she was wrong but the words wouldn't come out from his parched lips. He closed his mouth and jammed his mouth together and scowled, refusing to elaborate. Thalia's grin widened until it showed off her pearly white teeth, which blinded Nico so much he had to squint.

"Ha! I knew you two liked each other," She said smugly, "Everyone but you two seemed to see it." Nico wondered where girls got this stuff and if they were reading each other's minds or something. He would never get them.

"I never said anything," He said, as bluntly as he could.

"You don't need to. I know I'm right and now-shut up, I'm talking," She added as he opened his mouth to rebulk her, "You don't have to say it ever again. You don't even have to say it to her if you don't want to but I know you do."

"Thalia, that's-,"

"We should go now," Thalia interupted him again, "If we don't leave now, we'll never get there." She stood up gracefully and made for the door, roughly elbowing several girls out of the way who stared at her. Nico stared after her like someone who'd just realized they were in a dream before getting up clumsily and following her.

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It was a long time before they made it to the entrance to the underworld. They hadn't met up with anyone, no monsters, nothing. It made Nico suspicious, but he counted his blessings that nothing had stopped them. His hsoulders ached fro now badly he'd arched him on their way here while he 'sulked like a baby' as Thalia put it.

The dark shadings of the building made his eyes a lot better after squinting in the harsh light through most of the day. Now that they were here, his heart beat loudly in his chest. What if they were too late?

"Wait, this isn't right," Nico finally whispered, after they'd made it through to the Underworld, and there was nothing but twisting shadows and looming figures in front of them, "Where's Charon? That old sleaze bag is usually here. And what about Ceberus? Where is he?"

"Shut up," Thalia whispered back, "Just count our blessings, shall we? We already have a god to deal with; we don't need to deal with those two." It was that flippant comment that made Nico grind his teeth together, and remember why he hadn't wanted to come on the quest to begin with. Not only was she a Huntress, she was also the most arrogant person he knew, besides Luke.

It was just his luck that she had decided to come with him instead of going with Annabeth. Just my luck, he thought sourly, and hitched the bag higher on his shoulders as they passed an arch.

The air grew colder, and in the distance he could hear wails and mournful haunting sounds. He shuddered and watched the unfortuante souls suffer. Someone where, he could see Elysium, and the sounds of laughter and music drew him in. But he couldn't get in. He knew from experience from tring to get Bianca. Nobody who wasn't dead could get in.

"Where are we supposed to look for her first?" Thalia asked, slowly down slightly. Nico knew that she was feeling uncertain of herself because she began fiddling with the straps of her bag, avoided his eyes. Nico glanced around, shaking his head.

"There's something strange, though," He said, glancing up above his head. He half expected to see a ghost floating freely above his head, twisting, near transparent before it went back to where ever it was condemned to for the rest of its life.

"You think?" Thalia snorted and bit back on another sarastic retort when he realized something wasn't right. Things were too quiet, for one, and there wasn't a visible spirit in sight for yards upon yards. She squinted half heartedly, but she could see nothing more than the black streets paved up to the palace set upon the high crest just visible to her human eye sight.

"Where are the ghosts?" Nico asked, echoing her thoughts, "Better yet, where's the scary reception that should be waiting for us right now?" They looked at each other, and something close to fear, something close to antispation sunk into their chests as they moved slowly toward the palace.

Thalia sighed slightly, stirred the hair on her forehead as she eyed the high balconies, the sharp edges, the smooth obsidian gates, the sightless guards who's head followed her every mood and flinched slightly.

Was this the last thing Jaime saw, she wondered, before she disappeared to wherever it was she went?

Steeling her nerves, she pushed through the door, still marveling over the fact how easy things were. The door swung open with a loud creak, and she flinched, glancing behind her automactically to see if anybody heard it and had followed her.

Nico, cool as ice, pushed the door open.

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A/N

I apologize both for this incredibly lame chapter and the length of how little I wrote. I love the reviews, and I hope you'll stick with me to the end of the story.


	25. Maybe It Won't Be easy, After All

Okay, so here is the next chapter! This is something I'm excited about, though I'm nervous about how smoothly everything goes out.

I do not own Percy Jackson...or Nico. If I did, he would definitely be more awesome than he already is!

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The large room was dimly lit; shadows flickered around the room, writhing like snakes. The cold air sucked the oxygen out of Thalia's mouth, crushed her lungs and made her curl up against herself to draw some warmth. Tall columns wound around the length of the room, black as obsidian. It scared her, not that she would ever admit it. She worked to control her breathing and stared at Nico, wondering just how he was with coping.

His face was impassive, though she could see a shadow pass his eyes at being back in the Underworld.

"Where is he?" Nico muttered, scratching his head in confusion, "He's always on his throne; it's not like he's not expecting us." He stared at the black throne as though waiting for someone. Thalia, impatient as always, took a few steps forward and knocked on the throne three times.

"Hades, get your butt in this throne room and give me back our friend!" She yelled. Nico stepped forward to restrain her, fearing that provoking Hades would lead to nothing but trouble for her. Before his hands could make contact with her arm, she stumbled backwards as though stung, tripping over his feet and knocking them both over.

"Watch where you're going," She snapped, glancing at the throne. Her face was pale, as though she had just seen a ghost. Nico frowned, glancing in the same direction she was yet not seeing anything.

"What are you staring at?" He asked, puzzled. There was nothing there, nothing but the plain throne and the darkness it surrounded.

"I felt something there," She muttered, her eyes wide. She slammed a palm to her forehead and cursed in Greek, "Oh gods, I'm so stupid."

"What?' Nico asked, feeling slightly sheepish for not understanding what Thalia was trying to say.

"Hades must be wearing his Helm," She hissed. Comprehension dawned on Nico's face, along with irritation for not realizing it. "So that means that he's here."

"Father, are you there?" Nico asked, feeling foolish for talking to thin air. He scratched his arm for something to do and then repeated, "Are you there?"

"It appears you two really won't leave me alone, will you?" Hades answered, and leaned forward. He appeared quite literally out of thin air, scaring Thalia again and causing her to curse under her breath. His face was smooth, devoid of any emotion. Amusement flickered in the pits of his eyes, though, which made Nico get a bad feeling about coming there in the first place.

"Uncle, Did Jaime already pass?" Thalia asked, glancing at him with something close to respect, "Did her spirit already make its way to the Underworld?"

"Even if it did, it hardly concerns you, now, does it?" Hades said, amusement flickering on his face, alternating with irritation and something close to respect.

"She already came here, didn't she?" Nico asked bluntly, used to the icy chill of the room and adverting his gaze so he was talking to his shoes instead of addressing his father, "I can sense her here, faintly."

"So, you can," Hades said, "But what does it mean to do? More yet," Here, he leaned forward and the shadows across his lap shifted restlessly and moaned.

Thalia frowned but didn't say anything about it, her brow creasing as she realized that they were human souls.

"Why do you care what happens to her?" Hades continued, snapping Thalia to focus with a cynical air to his voice, "She's hardly a friend, is she? Why go through all of this-risk the world, no less-just to save her? Zeus knows you never tried this hard with Bianca." Nico's eyes darkened briefly at the mention of his sister, but he refused to let it faze him. Thalia was full of grudging admiration for the prince of the underworld. The gods knew that if Hades had been baiting _her_ like that, she would've already lost her temper and thumped him already.

"She didn't want to be saved. It was her time," Nico managed to spit out, hating how easily he was willing to sell his sister, yet at the same time so consumed with the thought of finding Jaime and the person who had killed her that he hardly noticed anything else. "But it wasn't her time yet, father, and I need to find her. She might be our only chance of defeating Kronos."

"Why do you say that?" Hades asked, lifting up one of his eyebrows, "What makes you so certain that she would be willing to help you? You haven't exactly been the best of friends to her, have you?" It was here that Nico fell silent, unable to say anything to take away the sting of Hades words because, as much as he wanted to deny it, Nico knew that they were true. More than once, he'd turned his back to her.

"She wouldn't do that; she's a good person," Nico insisted. Hades smiled slightly, a smile that made chills run down his back.

"How would you know that?" He asked again, "You don't know anything about her or her past."

"I know her enough to know that she's a kind person," Nico insisted.

"Do you?" Hades sighed heavily, "Well, then, I suppose you already know that her aunt isn't really her aunt."

"I-," Nico stopped talking before saying in a low voice, "You're lying."

"I have no reason to," Hades said smoothly, "What do I gain by tricking you? It's true when I tell you that her aunt isn't really her aunt. In fact…," He went on to explain about what had happened to Jaime's mother, how she fell in love with Kronos, how she had been another demigod and how long Jaime had been slumbering. With every word that dripped from Hades' face, Nico felt his heart drop and plummet to his feet. He'd never known…he never would've guessed just how much Jaime had gone through. Much more than him, that was for certain.

And he's never asked, never tried to figure it out, never tried to figure _her _out. Was he really so blind that he couldn't have guessed about this. His heart chipped into tiny pieces and fell to the ground, limp and lifeless.

"Did you know that?" Hades finished his depressing story and gauged both of their reactions. To both of their credits, neither one of them looked as bad as he would've guessed. Nico's face dropped, as though a heavy pain had shot him and Thalia looked more than a little disgusted.

"Ew," She muttered quietly to herself, "What person would be dumb enough to fall in love with…,:"

"Thalia, shut up," Nico said tersely. Thalia glared at him with anger-honestly, she would've loved to smack that skinny bag of bones around-but his expression made her stop. Underneath his façade, he was still a little kid who looked like his entire life had come crashing around him. So, Thalia listened and faced straight ahead.

"She never knew about that," She hissed, coming to Nico's defense, "And even if she had that awful life, it doesn't mean that she's anything like her mother. Or her father."

"Oh, doesn't it?" Hades said softly, "Standing before me right now is Thalia Grace, who has both her mother's obsession with being better than everyone, being noticed by everyone, doted on by everyone and her father's stubborn temper that won't let him admit that he's wrong. Doesn't Jaime resemble her parents at all?"

"Jaime resembles herself," Thalia snapped, her face flushed with what he'd just said about her, "And it wouldn't matter if she's the spitting image of her mother-we wouldn't give up on her."

"And why not?" Hades asked, "Why would you be so willing to give her a second chance at life?"

"Because she's my friend," Thalia said, her voice fierce, "And damned by the god or goddess who tries to take her before it's her time. Now are you going to let us get her back or not?"

Her voice was so fierce that for one second, Hades expression faltered. Regaining his composure, he shrugged carelessly.

"All right, then," He said, "I'll allow you to go get her back." Thalia, too busy ranting to hear him, continued on with her angry tirade: "And another thing-huh, did you just say you would allow us to get her back?" She stared at him as though he were any alien.

"Yes, I said I would allow you to get her back," Hades said, "It's really none of my business whether or not she lives, but if she's as important to the war as I think she will be, then it would be foolish to give up our best tool for winning the war."

"She's not a tool," Nico said angrily. Hades pointed at him with one long, pale finger.

"You can try and get her back-only you, because if your friend venture to where I'm going to place you, she'll be stuck there forever. Originally, Jaime chose to go Tartarus-,"

"She did what?" Nico choked out but Hades didn't appear to hear him.

"But I took mercy on her, and I placed her in Elysium. Her memories are most likely gone, everything that's ever made her suffer. She's blissful ignorant of everything right now, but if you want to torture her with your presence, feel free to."

"What do you mean, torture her with our presence?" Thalia demanded, "Are you saying that we're mean to her or something?"

"No, but every since she'd met you, her life hasn't exactly been the easiest, has it? And everywhere she turns, someone or another has betrayed her; it has to be getting old. So why wouldn't she want to see you and be afraid that you'll try to kill her the moment she turns her back?" Things were quiet for a second, nothing more than the sound of breathing before Thalia let out a strangled gasp and took a step forward.

"If you think for a second that I haven't regretted what I've done, than you-,"

"Thalia, it's fine," Nico interrupted, "I'll go find her and bring her back. After that-after that, we have a lot to make up for and a Titan to defeat. I'll bring her back, so why don't you just catch up to the rests and let them know that we're going to be there shortly."

Thalia looked ready to argue than seemed to think better of it and shrugged indifferently, hoisting her bag over her shoulders and shooting Nico a backwards glance.

"I hope you know what you're doing," she said.

Nico wanted to say that, no, he had no idea what he was doing, that his tongue had glued itself to the roof of his mouth in terror, that he was seconds away from running away like a big baby, but refrained from doing so. It would make him look scared, and the last person he needed to see him freak out was Thalia. Instead, he nodded.

"We'll be out soon," He said. Thalia's face softened, if only somewhat, at the mention of Jaime coming back and left, without another glance back at him. He dark hair blew in a halo over her head as the door slammed shut behind her. Nico swallowed harder, and turned to face his father, who wore an expression that was inches from smugness, yet not quite there.

"Ready?" Hades said. He snapped his fingers, and a mist began to form inches from Nico's feet. He backed away as the shape expanded, pushed outward into the approximate shape of a door. It shimmered, glowing a silver color that made him squint through his lashes.

"What is that?" Nico asked, turning his head away before it blinded him. As though Hades could tell Nico didn't like it, the light dimmed down. The door was now obsidian black, smooth and marble-like and so smooth, Nico caught his own reflection in its dept. he wished the silver hadn't faded. It was much more pleasant to look at.

"This is your way to where Jaime is," Hades said, shrugging, "Oh, and by the way. You only have a limited amount of time to get there and get back before you're trapped there with her forever."

"What?" Nico shouted, before remembering who he was talking to. Hades' face soured at Nico's tone. "You never mentioned this before." Nico said in a much calmer voice.

"You never asked me to," Hades said, "But if Jaime's as loyal to you as you claim she is, then you'll have to problem getting out of there, right?" His tone was mocking, cynical. Nico stiffened, drawing his mouth into a taunt line.

"She'll come out with me, just watch," Nico said. Hades laughed behind him, a booming voice that sent fingers crawling up Nico's back. Turning red, Nico wrenched open the door and fell into darkness.


	26. A Helpful Ghost and A Name

Look, I didn't leave you guys at a cliffhanger this time! I actually posted two chapters in a row! Aren't you proud of me? Okay, on to the story.

I do not own Percy Jackson.

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The place was warm, with a cool breeze stirring in his face and the smells of flowers lingering in the air. Cooling aromas danced around the place, and the sound of giggling sounded, the type that made people smile despite themselves. For a second, Nico didn't want to open his eyes and take away the beautiful picture, but he made himself, remembering exactly why he was there in the first place and heeding Hades' warning.

Elysium was nothing like he expected. It reminded him of a tropical island, somewhat, though he knew that wasn't all the place was. The smell of coconuts drifted in from the sea, and the soft sand between his toes irritated and soothed them at the same time. It truly was paradise, watching the soft sun fall behind two clouds and hiding there, the puffs of clouds that streaked the sky. Though it wasn't really the sky….the more Nico thought about how much it resembled earth, yet was not earth, his head pounded.

"Find Jaime," He muttered to himself, pulling himself out of his trance with a shake of his hair. He turned his pensive glance around him, and saw that there were, indeed, many people who were there. Most of the ones he saw were young woman, just around Jaime's age or older. They were smiling and laughing, arranging flower necklaces for each other and dipping their toes into the cool water as it hissed and drew them in to the knee. They pulled away, laughing.

He could not find Jaime.

Nico pushed his way through the throng of young woman, many of whom gave him surprised glances, as though they knew he was alive. He was starting to regret not asking Thalia to come here with him; she, at least, wouldn't be freaking out about how hard it would be to find Jaime.

He walked for a long time, searching for a sign of her tell-tale flaming red hair, yet to his bitter disappointment, it seemed none of them had red hair. He spotted sleek blond hair, as well as short obsidian black hair and even a green one or two, yet he couldn't find a single red strand in any of them. A while after he had started searching, a familiar sensation pressed against his stomach, the one that meant he felt disappointed in himself and wanted to quit because nothing was yielding in results.

Just as he was about to give up he caught a flash of brilliant red before it disappeared into the bushes. Not wasting any time, Nico ran to catch up to her and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Jaime, I-, oh, you're not Jaime," He said, not bothering to hide his disappointment. The young girl, with soft eyes and a willowy body, stared at him with parted lips before they quirked into a lovely smile,.

"No, I'm sorry to say I'm not. Though I wish I could be, for your sake. You seem so sad," The girl noted, "Yet, I don't sense that you're dead. Did you come here to find her?" Nico's head span at the questions she asked, questions that he hadn't expected to be hurtled at him from a girl a head shorter than him.

"I-I don't, I mean, yes, I came looking for her. And, no, I'm not dead," Nico blubbered out incoherently. She giggled, flipping back her long sheet of hair.

"You must love her a lot," She noted.

"Yeah, I," Nico stopped in his tracks, more than confused. The girl giggled, smiling at him through her hands. "No," Nico shook his head in denial, "She and I are just friends. She died unfairly and I want to get her back. That's it."

"Are you sure?" The girl looked so disappointed, Nico almost wished that there was something more he could tell her but there was nothing he could think of.

"She and I are best friends," He admitted, "Thought I doubt that she remembers. Can you-can you help me find her or not?" He was dangerously close to begging, which he hated. He hated sounding like he needed people. He didn't even come close to begging to Persephone, though he knew it would satisfy her to no end.

"Maybe," She said, giggling again before abruptly turning serious, "Listen, if you two really were best friends, then she may not have forgotten about you yet. Some friendships are so strong, they transcend lifetimes. Maybe yours is strong enough to overcome death as well."

"I don't know. We've known each other less than a month," Nico said, defeated. "I doubt our friendship is worth remembering even in the Underworld." Besides, he thought bitterly, his own sister hadn't remembered him when she came to the Underworld. What guarantee did he have that Jaime would remember?

The girl stared at him for a second, her expression wavering between confusion and amusement. After a second, he gathered up her fist and slapped him on the head. Nico winced as her fist connected, forgetting for one second that ghosts could touch him, just like he could touch them. Or wasn't she a ghost?

"Stop thinking like that," she said gently, "If you doubted that she would forget you, you wouldn't be down here right now. Surely you have been through some things that would make her remember you? Not even one thing?"

Nico wasn't sure what this had to do with anything, but he couldn't deny that her words had a ring of truth to them. In the short amount of time they'd known each other, they'd been through more than most people would in several decades of friendships. He shook his head again.

"Can you help me find her? Please?" He asked again, though his voice wavered slightly. She looked surprised but nodded her consent and pointed to the thick thambles around them.

"I've been noticing a strange red head here lately," She said ,"I don't think that she's been here long, but every few hours or so-I wouldn't know, I can't tell time here-but she would stare intently at the area you are standing at for long periods of time before disappearing into the bushes. Occasionally, we'll hear her mention one of her friends coming here to save her." She paused, staring at Nico as though she could see how his heart leapt up at her words, "Do you think that's her?"

"I-,"

"She also," The girl cut in, "Has this strange thing she does with herself. She smiles for no apparent reason and mutters something about her father being close."

"That's her," Nico said automatically, though his heart began to sink. He'd forgotten just how close to Tartarus he was right now. Of course, she would be afraid that her father would find her. Or worse, try to control her by offering her freedom.

"Do you want to see her?" The girl asked, "I think she's over there." She pointed to Nico's right. Without another word, Nico spun off and pushed through the leaves until they had disappeared and he was looking at an open clearing, where a girl was dipping her feet into a shallow pool, where her reflection danced on the surface. Nico drew in his breath sharply and her head twisted up, making his heart pound even harder.

Now that he could see her without blood or dirt on her face, he could see how pretty she was. Her face was heart shaped, framed by dark red hair that brought attention to her eyes, snapping with life, fringed by a heavy forest of curly cashes. Her mouth was quirked up into a half quizzical smile, the one she always wore when she was happy, and the various scars on her face were gone.

"Hello," Jaime said brightly, "I didn't know somebody had snuck up on me. You might want to quit it; it's a nasty habit."

"I didn't sneak up on you," He said defensively, glad that his sarcastic retorts hadn't stopped working when his brain had ceased functioning, "You weren't paying attention when I came up behind you." Her lips pulled up, revealing her white teeth. Still laughing, she patted the patch of grass next to her.

"My name's…well, I don't actually know," She said, and her face fell slightly then brightened, "I would ask you for your name, but I don't think you know it either, right? I don't know if everyone forgets about their previous life and their name or if I'm just crazy, but let's just assume that you're the same as me, okay?"

"Right," Nico said, already used to her babbling on about stuff that didn't seem remotely interesting to him, but loved hearing her voice. Gingerly, he sat down next to he while her long fingers plucked a flower from the ground and played with the broad petals, "So you don't remember anything about yourself?"

He hoped desperately that the girl was right, that Jaime really did remember all of her friends and that she was just playing around with him now. However, when her face fell even more and she let the flower fall from her hands, he knew that it was just wistful thinking.

"I don't remember anything about my past," She said sadly, "I don't remember how long I've been here, or even what my name is. Except…," She hesitated, staring at Nico with wide eyes, "There is this one name that I remember. Just one name, not attached to any face or anything, and I can't seem to get that name out of my mind."

"Who is it?" He asked quickly. His heart raced. Maybe she remembered who had tried to kill her, maybe it wasn't one of their friends after all. Maybe….suddenly, she was shaking her head.

"Why would I tell you? You're a stranger to me," She said, and Nico's heart snapped in half.

"What's the name?" He asked again, more frantic this time.

"I don't have to tell you-," She stopped speaking suddenly as he grabbed her shoulders almost roughly and leaned closer, close enough to smell her breath.

"Tell. Me. The. Name, Jaime," Nico said, and didn't realize that he'd said her name out loud until it was too late. Hr eyes widened as though she remembered her name. he held his breath as she regarded him for several minutes.

"Nico," She said at last, "I remember the name Nico."

Nico felt as though his entire being suddenly shifted, like it wasn't even his to control when she spoke his name. It was a little more than pathetic, but the shock still trumped him. In death, she remembered his name…and his alone when she'd forgotten her own? His fingers trembled.

"Do you-do you know me?" She asked, when the silence stretched on for a while. Nico couldn't think of a single thing to say to her from his shocked state. "Did we meet?" She asked again. This time, Nico managed a small nod. She exhaled sharply, a half hopeful expression on her face.

"Were we friends?"

Nod.

"Can you speak?"

"Yeah, I-," Nico choked on his next words, "Yes, I can speak. I'm just…shocked right now. Why is it that you remember the name 'Nico' when you don't even know your own? Wouldn't it be easier to remember your own and forget his?" He wasn't sure what had prompted him to ask that but suddenly, he felt as though he really had to know.

"I wouldn't want to forget about him, whoever he is," Jaime said, shaking her head and tickling his arm, "I was meant to remember who he is. And I wouldn't want to forget about him anyway."

"I guess," Nico said, his breathing hitched up slightly. Jaime regarded him carefully then, tilting her head so part of her hair fell into her eyes. Nico resisted the urge to fix it for her.

"If you and I were friends, that must mean that you know who Nico is, right?" She asked, and when he paused to look at her, she grinned triumphantly, "Yeah, you do know him, don't you?"

"Wait a second!" Nico protested, "Should you even trust me right now? Don't you want to know about your own past first?"

"If you gave me any reason not to trust you, then I wouldn't trust you," She said as though it made perfect sense. In her twisted up mind, it probably did, "And I can wait to know who I am, after I know who Nico is."

"Do you have a slightest thought of who he might be?" Nico asked, biting his lip to keep it from trembling in excitement. She thought about it for a second.

"I think…he's my best friend," She said at last. Nico's breath came out in a huff, and unable to help himself, he pulled her in for a hug. She gasped as she was crushed against him, but stopped struggling after a second. She was silent, her cheek against his chest, listening to his unsteady heartbeat.

After another second, she raised her head slightly to look at him, not backing up from the hug. Her voice sounded almost childlike as she said, "Nico?"

"Yeah," Nico choked on his own words as he felt relief sweep through him, "It's me. Do you remember now?"

"Yeah," She said, "It's slowly coming back to me now." She shifted in his grasp, staring at him with large eyes, "You came back for me." It sounded as though she were really surprised.

"Of course, why shouldn't I?" Nico asked. She looked into his eyes and couldn't think of a reply for a second. She moved in closer to him, wrapping an arm around his neck. Nico's already electrified brain shut down as she moved closer to him. "Jaime…?" He asked unsteadily.

"You should've have come back," She muttered, her voice thick. She made no move to back away from him, nor did he push her away, "I'm not worth it."

"Yes, you are," Nico argued, "You mean a lot to us…you mean a lot to me." There. It was out. Jaime's eyes widened as the words slipped out. Nico's face felt flushed, and he struggled to find something else to say when she moved in close.

"You mean a lot to me, too," She said, and stopped just short of his lips, a faint flush coloring her cheeks. Nico moved closer, until their lips were brushing and then they were kissing. Yes, they were in the Underworld and have a Titan to battle after this, but in that moment, Nico didn't care if they were suddenly on top of an active volcano.

The moment was perfect.

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_A/N: FINALLY! THEY KISS! Ah, I've been waititn for a while to post that up. I hope you guys like it. I will be posting as much as I can over summer vacation, and I hope to have the final chapters up soon._

_Read and Review, please. The next chapter is on it's way._


	27. Feelings, Questions and Explainations

_**What's up , people? I'm thrilled that so many people are reviewing, and I apologize for the detail that was not my fault this time. My computer crashed and I couldn't do anything. Oh well, on with the stosry!**_

_**I do not own Percy Jackson, or any of the characters for that matter**_

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By the time Nico pulled back, my face was flushed, though in a good way. It felt like forever since I'd last had my memories and his kiss pulled all my memories in front of me, the bad parts, the good parts, my death. It was bittersweet, that even when I had what I wanted, there had to be a part in which I rip his heart out.

Nico leaned back, a small smile on his face, and the sweetness in his eyes ripped at my heart. "I should've done that a long time ago if I knew you would react like that," He said, his eyes gleaming.

"Then, why didn't you?" I challenged. My eyes followed his hand as it raked through his obsidian black hair, tendrils falling into his eyes.

"I didn't know if you felt the same way about me actually," Nico confessed, glancing at the ground and tracing a blade of grass with his index finger. He refused to look at me as he spoke, "It was…awkward knowing that I liked you and yet there was nothing I could do about it. You know…considering."

"Considering what?" I asked, curious. He didn't answer me for a second, withdrawing into his moody old self. I puffed out my cheeks in annoyance and waved my hands in front of his face, causing him to look up in mild shock. "Come on, Nico! You kissed me, and I kissed you back and the least you can do is let me into your mind so I at least know if you like me or if you don't or if…,"

I trailed off when I saw his lips stretch into a smile, not smug but almost. That triggered a blush and I turned my head to the side, muttering inaudibly. In a quiet voice, I said, "You can trust me, you know."

"Oh, I know," He said, heaving a sigh. " It's just…hard to trust somebody, you know? I don't have the most tolerance for people near me. It's hard to break old habits." Without thinking, he reached out and grabbed my head. It embarrassed me, since I had no experience in stuff like this, but it didn't seem to faze him so I let it go and allowed him to pull me to his side. I leaned my head down on his neck, and looked up at him.

"Would you answer some of my questions, then?" I asked, trying to make things a little easier for him though not willing to drop the subject. It wasn't every day that Nico really opened with to everyone, and I wanted to pres my luck. He sighed a little, though he didn't seem terribly upset.

"Is it really necessary?" He asked , prompting me to nod mutely next to me, "Okay, fine, but that means I get to ask questions as well and you have to answer them. It's only fair."

"Deal," I said grudgingly. "But I start. My first question is, exactly how did you end up here?" Okay, it wasn't the most romantic thing every to say, but I was curious about it and I knew that pushing Nico too much too soon wouldn't be a good thing for both of us.

"Oh, that," Nico said darkly, "What happened was…," And he told me about how they ended up having help with a goddess, about how Thalia's speculations made him feel and about what Hades had told him about my past. I grew quiet as he told that part, regretting that I had said anything.

"Oh." I said in a small voice. "He…told you about that?"

"Yeah," He shifted next to me, as uncomfortable as I was, "He was hoping that once we knew the truth about you, we would change our mind about rescuing you or something. As you probably already know, it didn't work."

"But, you know about my mother," I whispered, "You know about who she was and who I am. You should be appalled, you should be mad."

"Mad? Why would I be mad?" Nico asked, puzzled by my logic. I swallowed thickly, sensing that our small cozy world had crumbled to shreds around me.

"Because my mother fell in love with Kronos," I said, "You should be mad that something like me exists, that Kronos has a chance of winning this war. You should be blaming me for being here in the first place."

"Jaime, none of this is your fault," Nico said firmly, "If anything, it's Hades' fault for telling us something that has nothing to do with us. Just because you're his daughter doesn't mean that you are as evil and crazy as he is."

"How do you know that?" I demanded, pulling away much to his surprise, "How do you know that I won't turn against you and help him? That I won't turn against the Gods because he has some sort of hold against me? That-,"

"I know you won't turn against us," Nico said, stopping my storm of words, "You're our friend, and I just can't imagine you working against us. Besides, you're too nice to have anything to do with Kronos. So, will you quit worrying about that? We can't pick our parents, remember that. If we could, we would all be normal and would be as ignorant about the gods as the mortals are."

"Wouldn't that be fun," I sniffed, though my small bout of hysteria seemed to have passed, much to Nico's relief, "Nah, I'm fine now. I think that was my hysteria talking."

"I can tell," He said wryly, "But now that your sane again, I believe that it's my turn to ask questions." I groaned loudly but he didn't seem to hear it.

"Okay, fire away," I said. Now that I could think clearly, my outburst sounded slightly childish to my ears, though Nico didn't' say anything to make me think that he thought I was being ridiculous. When I watched him, his eyes glistened wickedly and I got the impression that I would hate his next question.

"Well, since you kissed me back," He said lightly, causing my eyes to widen with horror.

"Which means that you like me as well, or I assume you do and that you didn't just kiss me back because you wanted to be nice. So, my question is, when did you start liking me, as cliché as that sounds?" I smiled at how blunt he was, and how he rambled on when he was nervous, like I did. Though the question made me nervous, I tried my best to answer.

"Um, that would be kind of hard to explain in just a little bit of time," I said, trying to avoid the subject.

"We have time," Nico said, obviously sensing my distress and embarrassment and completely ignoring it.

"Okay," I let out my breath and though back to when we had met, organizing my jumbled thoughts so I didn't let out something embarrassing I wanted to say like ' I thought you were hot.' Yeah, that would be beyond embarrassing and probably not what he wanted to hear after that confusing kiss. He'd think I was stupid or something.

"Are you okay? Your face just turned red for a second," Nico's voice interrupted my panick. I shook my head at his concern, more focused on his question than anything. Finally deciding that it would be best if I told him before something horrible happened, I turned to face him.

"Okay, I don't know exactly when I started to like you," I admitted, "I guess...somewhere between running for my life from my friends and figuring out who my dad was, it just sort of happened. And I was too blind to see it before it was too late." Suddenly, I made a face.

"Oh, yeah. Before I forget." I reached over and punched him in his chest.

"Ow." He complained, though I knew that I hadn't done any serious injury. To him, at least. I rubbed my knuckle ruefully, stinging from the impact. "What the hell was that for, Jaime? You can't go punching people for no reason."

"But I did have a reason." I said, trying to scowl. He laughed at my attempt, which made me stop. "Why did you go out with Sasha? I mean, seriously. You could've done so much better than her."

"I didn't like her." He protested loudly, "I mean, she just wanted to watch the stars, so I went with her. I didn't know it counted as a date."

"Yeah, like you really didn't," I said, snorting loudly.

"Honest," He said. "I'd want my first date wtih someone a lilttle prettier than her, someone that I happen to like a lot."

"Who is she then?" I muttered, not quite managing to control my jealousy. He grinned again, as though he found me funny. I thawed out watching him. He was a different person when he laughed, his hair thrown back and looking windblown.

"It's you, Jaime," He said. My cheeks flushed at the 'duh' implied by his tone. "So, you dont' have to be jealous."

"I was _not_ jealous," I protested, though my flushed cheeks didn't help matters.

"Oh?" He raised a single eyebrow. "Then is that razor sharp tone of your the way you normally ask questions."

"Okay, point taken." I glanced down when suddenly, his hand cupped his chin, forcing me to look up. His warm eyes had iced over, his smile demolished until he looked almost mad. He braced himself for something.

"Jaime," He said quietly, so solemnly, I felt scared. "I'm going to ask you smoething. Can I trust you to answer me truthfully, without worrying about anything else but the truth?"

"Y-yes," I stuttered out. My heart constricted painfully, He let out a slow breath, stirring the hair on my facd. He brushed them away absently, making a trail of fire follow his fingers.

"Then, who was the person who killed you?" He asked. My heart stopped as he asked. I shook my head, which caused him to growl. "You said that you would answer my question, Jaime. And I want to know who it was."

"I can't, Nico!" I said, scared by his anger. "It would only cause trouble between friends. It doesn't matter."

"Doesn't matter?" His hands started shaking, and he grabbed my shoulders as though to steady himself. When he spoke, his words trembled. "Jaime, that person _killed_ you. They took away somebody's life, and risked our whole mission. And you're telling me, after you _died_ that it doesn't matter...when I've risked everything to come find you...," He choked again.

"Nico...," I couldn't think of anything else to say. I was speechless.

"I nearly went insane," He admitted, his voice raw. "I didn't know if we could reach you in time or not. I'd never thought that I would lose another person that I cared about."

"I'm sorry," I whispered, "But I can't tell you, Nico. We're together now. Does it really matter?"

"If you won't tell me, then answer me another question," Nico said, not seeming to give up, "Was it...," He took a deep breath, as though he couldn't believe he was about to say the next words, "Was it Percy."

"What, no!" I protested loudly, "No! Percy would never...he wouldn't have the guts...he wouldn't...,"

"Okay, then," Nico looked slightly happier, "And it wasn't Thalia?"

"Of course not!"

"Clarisse?"

I shook my head slowly. Suspicion snuck in that he was naming all the people there, and my heart dropped like a stone. It would only be a matter of time before he found out...and I wouldn't be able to stop him...

"Was it me?"

"Now you're just being ridiculous," I told him, while hiding a half hysterical smile. Trust Nico to make my death seem like a joke.

"Was it...Annabeth?"

My heart dropped. My chest constricted. Just hearing her name made me think back to that awful poision, and I shivered.

"...No." But my voice cracked so horribly that it couldn't possibly be the truth. I shivered, and Nico drew me closer, seeming to sense that I was close to breaking down. He didn't say anything for a second, allowing me to compose myself.

"She poisoned you," He said, his voice cracking as badly as mine. "And I thought that she had changed."

"She was my friend," I whispered, "I don't harbor any hard feelings for her. She was only doing what she thought was right, even thought it was kind of messed up. I don't really think she was thinking on her own when she did this."

"I do," Nico near growled, "When Thalia finds out, I imagine that Annabeth will e...,"

"Don't," I moaned, "Don't tell anyone...she probably feels horrible...,"

"Yeah, right," He snorted then added, "But things will be better when we go back to the world of the living. If she apologizes then things will be better, maybe. But we should probably leave now.,"

"Leave, what do you mean, leave?" I was confused, and scared. It looked like Kronos was right. I didn't want him to be right. I didn't want to do what he had asked me to do. And I didn't want Nico playing into his hand.

"I mean, we should go to the world fo the living now. Our friends need our help, Jaime."

I shook my head, as Kronos's words came back to haunt me.

_"When your friends come to get you, if you expect them to survive, you'll betray them. You'll turn against them. If you don't, then I kill them in front of you."_

"Nico...," I took a deep breath, not looking at his face, "I can't."

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**A/N: Well, this was a nice way to end the chapter, wasn't it? We are so close to the end, I'm so nervous. Thank you to all the wonderful people who have reviewed, and to those who took the time to read this. The next chapter will be up soon.**


	28. Betrayal and Heartbreak

**a** do not own Percy Jackson..

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Nico drew back, his face pinched with worry and confusion. I backed away from him, lowering my eyes again so he didn't see how much this was hurting me as well. Even if he didn't know my reasonf for doing this, he would be suspicious if he saw me about to cry from something like this. My hands trembled with my worry, and the fact that either way this turned out, I would have to break Nico's heart didn't help. My own heart was about to split in half.

"Why not? Isn't this why we came here to rescue you in the first place?" Nico asked. He looked like I'd just ripped his heart out, along with all his hopes of ever getting his friend back. I wanted to shake him until he understood I was doing this fro him but stopped myself.

"I shouldn't come back," I responded, "It wouldn't be right. Why should I get to come back when no one else gets to. The dead belong in the underworld, Nico. You of all people should know that. I need to stay here."

"Are you crazy?" He asked. "I thought you would want to come back. There's nothing here. Yes, the dead stay int he underworld, but at least they get what they deserge. You...you're too good of a person to realize that you don't belong here, that you deserve better than this place. If anything, you should alraedy be in eternal happiness right now. Hades told me everything, about what you chose and what he did. Now, come on, before the portal closes."

"There's nothing out there for me, Nico, "I forced the words out as harshly as I could. Anything to keep him from realizing just how badly I'd messed up this time.

"Your friends are out there," He protested, getting to his feet. I did the same , though he still towered over me.

"What friends?" I looked at him in the eyes, watching them widen. "Nico, it seems like whenever I come back, something really bad happens and I end up running away again. Last time I came back. I got poisoned. What's it going to be this time?"

"It would be different," He said, "I just don't get why you're doing this, Jaime. What's gotten into you?"

Nico wasn't giving up, I realized. I was desperate to keep him from talking me into going with him. If I did, then everything would fall apart and he would see just how horrible of a person I was. And I was selfish, selfish enough that I wanted him to think of me as a good person, even if I wasn't.

"I don't want to go back," I said.

"Why not?" Nico barked. "I mean, we've risked everything to come get you. Why don't you just come back?"

"The same reason that Bianca didn't," I said. Pain flinted across his face at the emtion of his sister's name and I nearly backpedaled before realizing that this would be my only chance to get rid of him. "I'm not supposed to come back, Nico. You know that."

"I don't...," Suddenly, he stopped talking. He glanced behind him with his face voic of any emotion. Craning my neck, I glanced behind him and noticed that there was a vague black shadow forming there. It became a swirlig vortex, composed of sand and shadows, picking up speed. Through it, I could just vaguely see the black outline of Atlas's prison. And there were figures who were fighting giant beings almost ten times bigger than them. I swallowed a large lump.

"Nico, that portal won't stay open for much longer." Nico spun around at the sound of my voice. I stood defiantly, swallowin over and over. "You have to get through it. Your friends need you."

"They're your friends too," He protested. "And I'm not going without you. I can't lose you again."

That was all he had to say. I burst into tears and ran at him, wrapping my arms around him and burying my head in his chest. He looked slightly alarmed, but his arms camd arround me anyway. I took a deep breath and looked up. Reaching up, I planted a small kiss on his lips.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. His surprised expression become shocked as I withdrew and pushed him through the portal. He fell through, and he disappeared into vapor before my eyes. His eyes swam before my face, accusing and shocked and heartbroken. "I'm sorry." I whispered again into thin air. I curled up on the ground and let the tears over take me.

So this was what heartbreak felt like. It felt like a chunk of my heart had just been ripped out, attaching itself to Nico and left me forever. My tears ran down my face, burning my face. As I cried and apologized to him under my breath, I remembered Kronos's words.

_"If you expect your friends to live through this battle, you'll do exactly as I say. They are trapped in Atlas's prison. They can get in , and they will never get out agian. That place is protected against the gods, so they can expect no help from anyone. Once there, the Titans who have risen and the giants will destroy all of your friends unless you renounce them, turn away from the gods and come to me. Wehn they come to get you, go wtih them, and from there, you'll understand what to do."_

Well, it looked like I'd foiled Kronos's plan after all. Nico came to get me, and he went back alone. I was trapped here forever, but I could live with it if Nico could manage to escape. I swallowed again and stood up unsteadily on my feet. Now, the only thing keeping my friends alive was their own skills. I'd done everything I could.

Hopefully, they were standing a pretty good chance.

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**3rd Person P.O.V**

The battle was not going well. Even as they arrived there, they had immediately realized that it was a trap. For one, the goddess was not there. Atla still shouldered his terrible burden, though at times his form flickered to the goddess, which had turned out to be a disguise set up by Hecate. Then, Percy realized that they were surrounded by Titans and hellhounds and different monsters.

Leading them was Luke, who sat back and watched s the battle exploded around him. As Annabeth made the first move, by killing a snake woman, the battle seemed to be against them from the start.

Annabeth and Thalia went back to back, hlding off the monsters as well as they could. Snake women charged at Annabeth, and her knife flashed adn winked as the women fell down. Thunder crackled from the sky, charring many monsters to unrecongizable crisps. The smell of chlorine filled the battleground, along wtih the smell of monster guts which did not smell very good at all.

Thalia flashed her weapon at the demons, who immeidately backed away as though they knew how horrible her weapon was. She fought like a demon, her mind focused on making it out of there alive. Every time thunder crackled from the sky, her face grew a little more tired and wary. Her movements became slightly jerky as she battled through the ranks of the monsters, but they kept coming back, two taking the place of every one that she battled.

Meanwhile, Grover and Tyson were battling the hellhounds. Tyson plowed through them as though they were nothing, but several managed to get their jaws around him, tearing at his shirt and drawing blood as he growled and shook them off, sending them into the ground. As he managed to fight several off, three giants appeared behind him.

"Look out!" Grover said, too late. Tyson turned as one of them appeared and knocked him out in one punch. Tyson swayed and fell. With a startled yelp, Grover attempted to get away but was soon buried beneath a mountain of flannel as Tyson fell on top of him.

"Tyson!" Percy had charged at Hyperion, who seemed like a mountain even beside all the giants surrounding him. The torando that had been swirlig around him slowed down as his attention was momentarily diverted to his fallen brother. With a loud smack, the Titan swatted Percy out of the air, causing him to crumple to the ground. He groaned as he hit the ground, and Hyperion looked away from him, as though he were worthless.

Clarisse crumpled on the ground, finally overocme by the sheer number of the enemies. She coughed once, and a small trinkle of blood burst into her palm. She groaned and rolled over.

"No, Clarisse!" Thalia shouted. And it was at that moment that the ground cracked open. Skelatons grasped at the air, bones sticking out in impossible ways, like a weird spot of weed. The crack widened, groaning, and Nico came through the hole. His face was ashy and pale, stained with tears, but he was still in better shape than all of them.

Confused, Thalia glanced around, searching for the redhair she yearned to see. "Nico, where's Jaime?" That had been the wrong thing to ask. A hellhound charged at Thalila, who deflected it almost lazily. She scooted backwards, where monsters had surrounded Nico.

"She doesn't want to come back," Nico said, his voice cold. The skelatons grasped at thin air, pulling monsters through the crack and dragging them down with them. A dozen of them clawed their way through the hole, their gaunt faces stretched into waxy smiles. They drew swords and guns, moving in towards the monsters that had surrounded the three remaining fighters.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE DOESN'T WANT TO COME BACK?" Thalia exploded. This caused Percy to groan from the ground, and start getting up groggily. Hyperion knocked him out again, and he crumpled forward.

"She refused to come with me," Nico said, "She kissed me and pushed me through the portal."

"She...what?" Thalia blinked as though his words made no sense to her before a smile crossed her face. She batted a hellhound out of the way and laughed. "Ha, Percy owns me some money when he wakes up. Trust you two to have a romantic meeting in the underworld."

"Um, guys," Annabeth interrupted in panic. Sweat dripped down her face. "I'd hate to interrupt but we are surrounded by monsters, remember?" Thalia sighed, wanting to keep pressing Nico for details but admitting that Annabeth had a point. Quickly, she glanced around, wonderin how it seemed like the monsters never seemed to go away. They surrounded them like a forest.

"Fine, but don't think I'm done with you, Nico." Thalia threatened before turning back to the enemies that were advancing at a leisurely pace. Behind them, she could see Luke and Hyperion tying up their friends with something that looked like rope. They didn't even seem to think that there was any way that they would be able to get out of this. And, Thalia was beginning to agree with them.

So, she was surprised when Nico suddenly broke away from them, wheeling on Annabeth with a look of fury on his face. The monsters stopped advancing, and they all simply sat down in amusement. Thalia lowered her weapon and stared at them incredulous. What had gotten into them? Was this a joke? She was so shocked, she missed the swing of Nico's fist as it went past them. Luckily, her reflexes were faster than his fist and she grabbed it before it could break Annabeth's nose.

"What the hell?" Thalia demanded. "Nico, don't you know better than to try to hit a girl?" Nico's face was flushed, angered. A few monsters laughed, as though they knew something that they didn't. Thalia would've gone for Luke's throat at this moment-after all, he was sitting down, reading-but the scene in front of her puzzled her. She'd never seen Nico so willing to hit a girl.

"This one time, I'll make an exception to the rule," Nico said, a vein pulsing in his throat, "You would understand, if you knew what I knew." He looked past her, at Annabeth, whose eyes had gotten incredibly wide. Thalia could't blame her. Nico's expression was one of contempt, as though Annabeth was worst than all the monsters here.

"What are you talking about?" Thalia asked, sensing the tension between them expand and build. Nico pointed a shaking finger at Annabeth.

"Ask her," He said, then added to Annabeth, "I know what you did. Jaime told me-she told me everything. I hope you didn't expect to get away from it. Just because she forgave you-it doesn't mean I will, or the Gods now that I think about it." Annabeth's wide eyes widened even more, and darkened ever so slightly.

"Annabeth, what is he talking about?" Thalia demanded.

"I don't kow."

"Don't lie!" Nico scowled, then looked at Thalia, "Remember what we were discussing on our way to the Underworld. I found out who did it, and trust me, it's not very surprising." Thalia shifted though her memories, trying to figure out what he was talking about then her eyes widened and she gasped.

"No!" Thalia whirled on Annabeth. "_You_! No, why? Why did you do it?"

"I don't know what your talking about," Annabeth protested.

"Don't you?" Thalila asked, anger blazing in her. Thunder crackled in the sky, responding to her anger. "So you didn't kill Jaime?"

Annabeth's face turned pale, but her expression didn't waver. "I did what I had to." Something had changed about her expression. Her grey eyes crackled with thunder, but something went slack in her face.

"You're crazy," Nico stated, as though he had just discovered this. "Your unhinged, aren't you? There's something strange about your eyes...,"

"A goddess," Thalia said, an idea popping into her thoughts, "Looks like a goddess is...,"

"Manipulating her," Nico finished, though his expression was still angry, "It doesn't matter to me."

Just when it looked like an argument would break out, the earth rumbled again. A figure appeared out of it, startled and frightened. She took a deep breath, her expression miserable. Nico froze as he stared at her.

Jaime smiled weakly. "Hello, Nico."

"Jaime...," Nico started angrily then stopped himself with some effort, "So, are you here to gloat and leave?"

"No, I'm here to help," She said, drawing a long sword from out of no where. She lunged forward just as the monsters got up to attack. Jaime's eyes appeared to be bright and angry. She flew past him, to the monsters, then she swung around, her eyes feral and wide and filled with tears.

Nico only had time to say, "Jaime, what...," Before the sword slashed in the air, and pain exploded against his arm.

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**A/N: I know what your thinking. What a horrible way to end a chapter. I wasn't very happy about it either, but I think that the action is really building up. And a happy 4th of July to everywhere, late as it may be.**


	29. Blackmail and Unhappy Endings

Hello, everybody! We are so close to the end of this story and so close to the sequel. I can't wait! Two years of writing really paid off, I guess.

I do not own Percy Jackson.

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Nico crumbled, falling to the ground. Thalia lunged forward, grabbing him before he could fall, cradling his head with her hands and grunting as his weight pushed them both down to the ground. All the while, Jaime looked at them with very little expression on her face, as though she were staring at strangers. It hurt Nico more than the stinging bit on his hand, slashing from his elbow up to his shoulder.

"Jaime...?" He asked in puzzlement. She raised her eyes to look at him, and he was surprised by how cold her eyes were, by how detached she was. He swallowed. "Jaime, what are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" She asked in a flat voice. "I'm attacking my enemies." The monsters backed away from her, some of them bowing. Jaime didn't turn around, fixing her gaze on Nico and the two others next to him.

"No, you're not," Annabeth snapped, "You're attacking your friends." Jaime lowered her eyes to the ground before looking up again. She didn't even seem to notice that the monsers had parted behind her, allowing her a path up to Luke and Hyperion.

"What friends?" Jaime asked. Her words cut Nico to the bone, harsher than anything a mere wound could ever do to him. Then, she smiled crookedly. "I told you before, Nico. I don't have any friends. But, now at least, I know where I belong." She turned her back on him, walking through the line of monsters as though she didn't care that one of them could turn around a kill her. She walked straight through the ranks, standing next to Luke and Hyperioin, standing inbetween them, showing that she was the leader. Hyperion's face soured but he said nothing.

"See now?" Jaime asked. Nico shook his head quickly, refusing to believe...unable to believe...

Jaime sighed, and then briefly closed her eyes. She waved a hand and a few monsters in front of her froze. She waved a hand again and they unfroze, seeming surrpised by everyone staring at them. Then, they turned and bowed, all the monsters. Jaime looked at Nico, straight in his eyes.

"I work for Kronos now," She said, her words sinking like a knife in his heart. "No...wait, that's not quite right. I work for my _father_ now. I'm in his army. I work for him against the gods...and against demigods. This is who I am, Nico. This is why he kept me alive."

"So you would be his pet?" Thalia's voice was absolutely cool. Thunder clapped above them, making a few monsters glance up in surprise and fear. Jaime didn't even look up.

"I would mean more to him than you mean to your father," Jaime corrected, making Thalia flinch. "Probably meaning that he would actually help me instead of ignoring me and sending me on missions he knew were traps."

"You-," Thalia paused, "You mean the gods knew that this was a trap all along? And they let us go?" Jaime didn't reply, turning her head as though embarrassed. Luke, standing next to her, looked up and he was the one who answered.

"Of course, the gods see everything," Luke said, shrugging, "To be fair, they didn't know at first. They really did think that Artemis was missing, and she was-for about a week then we let her go. And of course, things were strange that there were to be more than three people going on a quest, but they didn't say anything about it to you, did they?"

"And then," Jaime put in, "They realized that it was a trap, but they didn't really bother telling you anything. To be honest, they were willing to take the chance of their children dying if it meant that I was gotten rid of. And then, Annabeth finished it for them," Here, she flashed Annabeth a grim smile, which made her freeze, "But from there, things went wrong for them."

"And then, what went wrong?" Annabeth put in.

"Then, Kronos came in contact with me," Jaime said. For the first time, some real emotion crept into her voice. Nico couldn't tell if it was awe, fear, annoyance or all three. "He made me an offer that I couldn't refuse and I agreed. He got me out of the underworld. And here I am."

"And I bet that your thrilled with that, right?" Annabeth said, her tone harsh.

Jaime blinked slowly, just once. "Yes, I suppose I am. After all, it means that I'm getting something that I've been after for probably all of my life, even if it is with somebody evil and cruel and immortal."

"And what would that be?" Nico put in, breathing shallow. "Would it be power? Would it be money? Would it be somebody who sticks around after you do something stupid and tells you that it's okay? Well, hate to break it to you, but you had someone like that once, until you broke his heart." Jaime looked genuinely shaken, and her eye filled wtih tears. Nico almost wished that he could take back his words. Luke placed an arm around her shoulders, and she nodded against his shoulder to show she was all right. Annabeth seethed.

"I want family," Jaime's soft voice said, not as sharp as it had been before. Nico stopped dumb, staring at her. "My mother died when I was too young to remember her, and my aunt isn't even my aunt. Kronos...as weird as it is, is the only family I have left. And as evil as he is, he's my dad. And I owe him my life for saving it."

"We all lost our famiy," Annabeth said, "What makes you so special?"

Jame's head snapped up. "You left your family," She corrected, making Annabeth wilt, "You left you family because you didn't like them, but you have family now. Annabeth, you have a family-you just don't like the fact that your dad has a new wife. And you have friends, though you don't seem to care because Luke left you. And Thalia, you have the Hunters. So you aren't alone. And Nico...you have friends."

"So do you." He hissed. She pretended not to hear.

"No, I don't." She said calmly. "I thought I did, but I don't. You were all fine without me before, and you will be again. Besides, out of all of them, Nico, you were probably the only one that I actually liked."

"That's so nice," He spat, "Kiss me and then turn your back on me, huh?" Jaime turned pale, like he'd just hit her.

"You shouldn't have kissed me," She whispered.

"Just so you know," He continued ruthlessly, "Now, your counted as my enemy. The next time, I see you, I fight you to the death." Her eyes darkened slightly.

"I guess so," She said, then added, "I hope you like my present, Nico." Then, the entire army disappeared. All the monsters left, leaving nothing there except for Atlas and the heroes. Nico sighed as he examined the wound in his arm, though it hurt less than the hole in his heart.

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_Jaime P.O.V_

I winced when Luke grabbed my arm. My legs hurt like crap, though I kept silent, knowing that there was nothing I could do to change my predicament. Even now, I could see Nico's burning gaze on my face, the look of hurt on his face as I'd betrayed them. I shuddered as I walked.

"You'll let them go free now, right?" I asked Luke. "I did as you asked so you won't hurt them now, right?" Luke walked next to me, his hands shoved into his pockets. He wore his jacket unzipped, which fluttered in the breeze since it was windy.

"We'll let them go for now," He said, "But the next time we see then, they're bait, understand?"

"Crystal," I snapped. We walked in silence for a few minutes. My thoughts drifted back to my friends. I could neve talk about them anymore, not where I was going. I had to pretend that I didn't like them or else they would end up paying. Kronos had promised that. But it tore at my heart that I had to leave Nico like that, when I'd only just found out that he had liked me as well.

Life wasn't fair. Or, at least, my life wasn't fair.

"Tell me something," Luke said, interrupting my thoughts. "That kid...Nico, do you like him?" I fell silent, not knowing what to say. "Because you know that if you do like him, he has to be the first to go. You don't like him, do you?"

My last conversation with Kronos played in my mind.

_"You didn't do as I asked," The cold voice played in my mind. Slowly, I sat up, my eyes still wet from having to push Nico away, away from the Underworld and away from me. Kronos's voice scared me to death, because his voice was low and silky, more scary than if he had actually shouted it to me._

_"I won't let you hurt them," I said. Pain pounded against the side of my temple, which I tried to ignore. "I'd rather die than let you hurt them. Now that Nico's not here, there's nothing you can do to hurt them."_

_"Oh, can't I?" The voice like snakes hissed in my ear. I flinched. "Won't you aware that you were the only thing standing between them and destruction?" I paused, hating the fact that he knew all my weak points._

_"What are you talking about?" I demanded. I wished that I could talk to him face to face, but I couldn't even tell where he was now. Maybe in my mind or something. "The monsters attacked them because of me, right?"_

_"Wrong." The voice laughed, a cold harsh laughter that sounded like stones scraping together. "You are a fool, aren't you? Do you honestly believe that only those monsters would show up if I hadn't protected you? Your scent is much worst than Jackson's because your family is more powerful than Jackson's is. And did you honestly believe that if it wasn't for some help, you could've taken those monsters."_

_"I...I don't understand," I struggled to form words. It was so unlikely that Kronos would ever help me. "I thought we had run into trouble. Didn't you send those monsters after us?"_

_"No, only Luke." Now he sounded amused, like he was puttig up with a bratty toddler who insisted that she knew everything. Instead of being annoyed, I was scared. "Not all monsters are under my control...yet. They're wild and not easy to contain. They latched onto your scent and followed you. I took care of a few annoying ones with my own army, yet even the few monsters I allowed to escape me seems to be troublesome to you, aren't they?"_

_I could feel my face flush up. "That's not-,"_

_"And so I had to send Luke to your rescue, more than once," Kronos continued, making me pause, "And because of that, I've had to delay my return just so he could take care of you. Because of you, I've kept the monsters from coming to kill your friends on this fake quest. Now that you're here, there's no reason to show such restraint. They'll be dead within teh hour."_

_One thing stood out to me from what he had just said. "Fake quest?" My voice shook. "The gods send us on a fake quest, knowing that we'd probably die?" I felt Kronos give a mental shrug._

_"The gods are often lacking in their parental instincts." He said, causing me to snort. They weren't lacking anything. They didn't have it. Period. "Though, I doubt they knew this themselves. Even if they did, they didn't send help."_

_"And yet, you helped me," I said, my voice incredulous. "While the gods abandon their children, you help me. Why?"_

_"Because I am not a god," Kronos said, "If I had wanted you dead, I wouldn't have bothered letting you live until now. Unlike the gods, I can see potential in demigods, espeically in you. Now, enough about that, you have a choice to make now, and I would make it quickly."_

_"What choice?" My voice trembled._

_"As we speak, my monster army has surrounded your friends." His words were detached, as though he were talking about the weather. I choked as he spoke, listening intently. "I had a feeling you would try something like this, so I took precautions. If you don't do as I say, I'll allow them to rip your friends to pieces."_

_"No!" I choked. "NO, don't! I'll do anything, don't hurt them." I probably wasn't thinking straight, but I knew that if my friends died, I would never forigive myself. Kronos fell silent, considering._

_"Anything?" He considered. I nodded frantically, not knowing if he could see me or not, feeling foolish about it as well. Finally, he asked, "How would I know you will keep your word? Your much like your mother; you both are liars."_

_"I am not a liar," I said automatically then took a deep breath, " Look, I know that you probably don't trust me, but you have to believe that I would do anything it takes to help my friends, no matter what the cost."_

_"Alright then, prove it." The voice was cunning, deadly like a snake. "I'll take you to the place where they are now, and what I want you to do is betray them, make them believe that you no longer care for them, do whatever it takes to convince them that you hate them."_

_"And then?"_

_"And then, you will work with me against the gods in exchange for your friends life. I will not hunt them down, nor will I allow anyone to seek them out unless they seek me out first. Sound fair?"_

_I considered his words carefully. I didn't want to betray my friends. I would never want to do that. And it was foolish to think that Kronos would actually keep his promise. But what were my other options? There were none. If I didn't do this, my friends would be dead. And if I agreed to this and then betrayed him, my friends would die. It seemed liek there was no way for me to get my happy ending. But maybe there was a way to extend their lives._

_I let out a slow breath. "Okay, we have a deal."_

"No, I don't like him," I lied to Luke. "He's the enemy, after all. They're all the enemy." Luke narrowed his eyes at me but led me forward. I sighed behind him, glancing behind me just once in regret.

I'd made this decision, I thought to myself. I did this to myself. I'd willing betrayed them. I'd left them. And this was the consequence of that. I turned away, towards my future and leaving my past-and Nico-behide me for good.

The next time I saw them would be on the battlefield. And only one of us would be the winner.

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**A/N: Oh my god! I am actually done with this story! I can't believe it! This wasn't the best way to end the story, of course, so I will post up an epilogue. Thank you to everyone who's stuck with this story. I'll post the sequel up as soon as possible.**


	30. EPILOGUE: Burned Letters

**This is the last chapter of Black Dawn. The sequel will be up soon. I wasn't going to do this originally, but I felt like things needed to be closed. I feel like we need to see how her friends are handling things.**

**I do not own Percy Jackson.**

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Percy felt like the world had fell on his shoulders as he explained everything that had happened to Chiron. The centaur's face turned grave when Percy mentioned Jaime's death and betrayal, though unsurprised. Pery explained about how Grover and Tyson had left in search of Jaime and the monster army, how Thalia had left with the other Hunters in Ohio, and about how Nico had refused to come back to Camp Half Blood.

By the time he'd finished, Percy sagged against the chair. "This must be really hard on Nico, huh? First he loses his sister on a quest, then the one girl he likes goes and betrays him."

"Hmmmm, I wouldn't be so quick to judge your friend Jaime just yet," Chiron said, speaking to Annabeth and Clarisse, who sat on opposite sides of each other. Percy was nervous about having them in the same room, knowing about Clarisse's anger toward Annabeth. She had her electric spear wtih her, and could turn Annabeth into dead meat if Percy wasn't fast enough.

"She made her choice," Annabeth said, twisting her hair between her fingers. "She's counted as our enemy now, Chiron. It's dangerous for any of us to get attacked to her, especially since her abilities are impossible to fight in combat. There's not much we can do against time."

"Don't sound so happy about that, princess," Clarisse growled. "I know that you'd just love to be the one to stick that death blow to her a second time." Annabeth turned pale at the mention of killing Jaime. She'd avoided punishment for it, since Jaime turned out to be the enemy after all, but there were still several people who regarded her as an evil person now. Nico had flat out refused to apologize to her for attempting to punch her, and even Thalia had turned slightly cold toward her.

Personally, Percy thought that they were overreacting. Annabeth had apologized over it, even crying as she apologized, and it wasn't like Annabeth had done it out of sheer hatred. She'd really thought that it was the good of everybody. As much as Percy liked Jaime, he couldn't blame Annabeth for what she did. Not after he himself had punched Jaime in the face.

Clarisse stalked out to the Ares cabin, which had started a cold war betwen their cabin and Athenas. Annabeth looked so miserable, Percy was tempted to hug her, but he really didn't want to end up skewered by the edge of her knife. She had been tense and unhappy for the past three days since the quest had been over.

"I'm going to bed," She said and left. Percy wanted to point out that it was five in the afternoon, but shut his mouth after she gave him a glare. She pushed open the door and stomped down. Campers stopped what they were doing and gave her a wide berch as she went, none of them meeting her eyes.

Percy sighed. "This has got to be rough on her."

"Yes, it is," Chiron agreed, "But her action has consequences. Don't let your feelings for her cover over the fact that she did murder an innocent girl. Enemy or not, killing demigods is something that is looked down upon by both us and the gods. If Jaime hadn't turned out to be against us, she would be banished from Camp Half Blood for what she did."

"I suppose," Percy said, then sighed. He stood up. "I think I'll go after her now. Thanks for the tea, Chiron." Chiron nodded helpfully as Percy pushed open the door and left. He was intent on finding a bit of normality before thing turned bad, as they always did. As he moved toward his cabin, he spotted a black figure standing in the shadows.

Nico.

Percy walked toward Nico, who watched him warily. He was burning something, his face tight. Poor kid, Percy thought. Nico had really taken things hard.

"Hey man," Percy said. Nico, despite being a year younger than him was just half an inch shorter than him, which annoyed Percy to no end. He nodded to the paper he was burning. "What's that-a love note from an admirer?"

Nico snorted unhappily. "It was from Jaime. I found it in my pocket just now."

Percy tensed up. "And what did she say? Was she trying to get you on her side?"

"No, she just wrote to me about what happened between us in the Underworld, apologizing. It really doesn't matter what it says to me, though. If she couldn't say it to my face, it's meaningless what she wrote."

"Right," Percy said, then hesitated, "Listen, if you hate Jaime now, does that mean you forgive Anna-,"

"No." Nico said quickly. It was worth a try, Percy thought.

"Well, then, later." Percy said, walking away. Nico nodded after him, staring intently at the letter in front of him. He didn't need it anymore. He'd already memorized the words she'd written to him. Each letter cut him like a seperate knife wound. He stared at the flames, knowing what the charred letters said:

_Nico,_

_I know you think I betrayed you and I did, but it wasnt my choice. You know I would never do something like this on purpose if it wasn't for a good cause. This was why I didn't want to like you. Once I found out that I was the daughter of Kronos, I knew that something like this would happen eventually, and I didn't want anyone to get too close to me so I wouldn't hurt them._

_But I found friends who cared about me, people who didn't care about what I was because they liked me for me. Percy's the big brother that I never had, because he's funny and immature at times, but his heart is good. He always knew what to say, even if he didn't know it. Thalia's like my best friend. I like her and her cold attitude because she's exactly the type of person I want to be-independant and strong. Even Clarisse found her way to my heart. And Annabeth...please don't be so mean to her. She didn't mean what she did. I don't blame her , and either should you. _

_I know what it feels like to make a mistake and be hated. Please don't let her feel too bad._

_And you, Nico..._

_I didn't want to like you because I was afraid that you would break my heart. I didn't want to let you get too close to me because I thought you would break my heart because you were so nice and handsome and smart...and I was afraid that I wouldn't be good enough for you. But I didn't listen to myself. I feel in love anyway, even though I swore not to. I couldn't help it. You're everything that a girl could ask for, and I regret that I have to tell you this in the form of a letter._

_I know that I probably broke your heart, but you have no idea how hard this is for me. I'll cry about this later on. I broke your heart and it isn't fair to you because I can't even tell you why I did it. I can't even tell you a proper good bye. But, no matter how the outcome of the battle is, I want you to know something..._

_Even if I find that I die by your hands, I'll be happy if the last thing I see is you. I can't leave you with a proper good bye, because I'm not that cruel to make you believe that things could be different, even though I want them to be._

_Selfish as this may be, I hope you don't think too badly about me._

_Jaime_

At the bottom of the letter was another line, and Nico had torn it off the paper and stuffed it into his crumpled it up in anger. He hated it. Hated that she had betrayed them. Hated that things had turned out this way. Hated that he didn't have the chance to it to her as well. Hated that he could never say it.

_I love you, Jaime. I always will._

Broken, he stomped out the letter and left, taking the painful memories with him. Somewhere, he hoped, Jaime was missing him as much as he was missing her. He smoothed out the bottom of her letter, knowing what the words there said. They were etched in his brain.

_I love you, Nico. _

_Take good care of my heart. I left it there with you. _

_Forgive me._

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**FINISHED!**


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